2018 is a year in which great events of the country are celebrated. We celebrate 100 years of independence, 50 years of Prague Spring and 25 years of formation of the Czech Republic. We are going to dedicate this year to share the most relevant events and stories of the last 100 years of the Czech Republic and we start with the architectural current that marked several monuments of the destination, some recognized by UNESCO. Functionalism was a new style that strengthened its position in the twenties and thirties of the last century. This architectural style also expanded to Czechoslovakia at that time and elevated Czechoslovak architecture to the European top.

Let us visit true jewels of world architecture – works created by such personalities as the architects Adolf Loos or Ludwig Mies van der Rohe.

1. Villa Tugendhat
The pearl of the functionalism is undoubtedly the Villa Tugendhat, which lies in Brno, the metropolis of Moravia. The villa is an exceptional functionalist work that was designed by the German architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. It is the only monument of modern architecture in the Czech Republic that is inscribed in the List of World Cultural Heritage of UNESCO. It is also a building that established new criteria for modern housing and is one of the basic works of modern architecture in the world – functionalism. The village and the adjacent garden were rebuilt in the period from 2010 to 2012 and acquired the appearance they had in 1930 when the renovation came to an end. The amount of interest is huge, so we recommend booking tickets in advance.
2. The village of Müller
The luxurious functional village of Müller is located in Orechovka, one of the most famous and oldest residential quarters of Prague. The villa of the couple Milada and František Müller was created based on the project of the great architect Adolf Loos, who at the time was working in Bohemia. Precisely thanks to this work, Loos has managed to raise to the top his exceptional concept of space. The equipment of the interior of the village was chosen and, in many cases, also designed personally by Loos and represents a surprising harmony between the modern functionalism and the English classicist style.
3. Veletržní palác (Palace of Fairs)
Another important work built in the functionalist style in Prague is the Palace of Fairs. It was built in the period from 1925 to 1928 and at that time was the largest building of its kind in the world. The building was purchased by the National Gallery of Prague, and remains its property to this day and is home to the permanent exhibition of Art of the 20th and 21st centuries.

4. The skyscraper of Baťa
The Ba arrana skyscraper was built from 1936 to 1938 by businessman Jan Antonín Baťa (brother of the famous shoe maker Tomáš Baťa) in the city of Zlín, and the architect Vladimír Karfík was the author of the project. The building has the number 21 and so it bears the name “twenty-one.” With 17 floors and 77.5 m high, at that time the skyscraper was the second tallest building in Europe. The work really represents a small technological miracle for its tubular mail, electrical and telephone outlets, – the company director’s elevator that measures 6 x 6 meters – all this can be seen here. It is not surprising, therefore, that the skyscraper was one of the eight most important monuments of Czech architecture of the twentieth century. Today it is the seat of the provincial municipality of the Zlín region. Another curiosity: male toilets on each floor, female toilets only in the second and ninth, according to the architectural design.
5. The villa Stiassni
The two-storey functional villa in Brno, with the “L” shaped horizontal plane, was designed by Ernst Wiesner and completed in 1929. The building was commissioned by businessman Alfred Stiassni and his wife Hermina, whose surname was christened the village. The village, as well as its garden, became, in 1952, owned by the state, later used for representative purposes and sometimes still called the “government village.” Several renowned personalities have stayed in this villa, including Fidel Castro. Since 2009, the village is managed by the National Institution for the Protection of Monuments and in the last three years it was reopened to the public.

Photo: Reproduction