Discover "A Spirit at Work": Architecture & Czech Politics 1918-1945 at House at the Black Madonna

This exhibition examines the political visions that shaped society in interwar Czechoslovakia and during World War II, exploring how these were reflected in public architecture. It showcases examples of representational buildings for government institutions, embassies, and public agencies, highlighting the search for an architectural language that expressed democratic values and national successes.

The exhibition _A Spirit at Work: Architecture and Czech Politics 1918–1945_ delves into the political ideologies that guided society in the First Czechoslovak Republic and during the Second World War, and their manifestation in the era's public architecture. It features planned and realized representational buildings for various public institutions, including government bodies, embassies, schools, and healthcare facilities, illustrating the pursuit of an architectural vocabulary to convey the values and achievements of a democratic state. The exhibition highlights the Prague-centric nature of government administration in the First Republic, the significant efforts made to establish new regional capitals in Slovakia and Subcarpathian Ruthenia, and the drive to equalize living standards across the country. Architects and urban planners were instrumental in modernizing Czechoslovakia's cities, enhancing quality of life, and developing new transportation infrastructure, with the city of Brno serving as a documented example of municipal modernizing ambitions. Furthermore, the exhibition presents a selection of housing projects initiated by state and local governments with the aim of fostering social harmony. The Protectorate era, a period marked by a ban on new construction and a defensive stance for Czech architects, is explored through unrealized proposals for the radical transformation of Prague under National Socialist urban planning. The selection criteria for exhibited items prioritized their role in modernizing efforts over stylistic or aesthetic value, thus including lesser-known designs, both proposed and realized, that may not fully meet art-historical standards for progressive architecture but were nonetheless integral to the modernizing endeavors of both the First Republic's democratic society and the occupying authorities of the Protectorate.

Admission for all branches is CZK 150 full price and CZK 80 concession. Tickets can be purchased online for entry into 4 UPM objects.