Lucerna Palace () is an entertainment and shopping complex in the

New Town New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** New (Paul McCartney song), "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * New (EP), ''New'' (EP), ...

quarter of

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

, Czech Republic. In 2017, it was named a national cultural monument.

Design and construction

The building, nestled between Štěpánská and Vodičkova streets, was constructed between 1907 and 1921, based on a design by Stanislav Bechyně. The work was carried out by Vácslav Havel (grandfather of former President of the Czech Republic

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and dissident. Havel served as the last List of presidents of Czechoslovakia, president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until 1992, prior to the dissol ...

). Originally intended to serve as a hockey stadium, it was reworked into a large social hall as the dimensions were soon found to be unsuited for its initial planned purpose. At the time, it was unique due to being one of the first

reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...

buildings in Prague. The edifice bears significant features of the waning

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

style and the emerging

Modernism Modernism was an early 20th-century movement in literature, visual arts, and music that emphasized experimentation, abstraction, and Subjectivity and objectivity (philosophy), subjective experience. Philosophy, politics, architecture, and soc ...

. In addition to its Great Hall, the complex also houses the Marble Hall, the Lucerna Music Bar, a movie theatre, a café, and a prominent pedestrian walkway, or "passage", connecting Štěpánská to Vodičkova street. Lucerna is one of twenty-six buildings in Prague with a functional paternoster lift.

Uses

From its inauguration until the present day, Lucerna has been an important cultural and social centre of the national capital, both in the former Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, hosting concerts, balls, conferences, fashion shows, and sporting events. Over time, some of the most prominent local and international artists have performed at the venue. After the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

of 1989, Lucerna Palace was returned in restitution to the Havel family and is now owned by Václav Havel's widow, Dagmar Havlová.

National cultural monument

The complex has been listed as a cultural monument since 1976. In 2017, it was named a national cultural monument.

Gallery

Lucerna (1).jpg, View from Vodičkova street Štěpánská, Lucerna, pasáž.jpg, Entrance to Lucerna Music Bar from Štěpánská street Lucerna (3).jpg, Cinema entrance Cerný Wenceslas.JPG,

David Černý David Černý (born 15 December 1967) is a Czech artist. His works can be seen in different locations around Prague as well as in his own, Prague-based museum, called Musoleum. Early life Černý was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. From 1988 t ...

's statue ''Kůň'' Velký sál Lucerny, duben 2013.jpg, Great Hall Štursova busta Vácslava Havla - Lucerna P1072059.jpg, Bust of Lucerna founder Vácslav Havel by

Jan Štursa Jan Josef Štursa (15 May 1880 – 2 May 1925) was a Czechs, Czech sculptor, one of founders of modern Czech sculpture. Birth and studies Štursa was born on 15 May 1880 in Nové Město na Moravě. He studied masonry and sculpture in Hořice an ...

References

External links

*
Lucerna Palace Great Hall official website

Lucerna Music Bar official website
{{Authority control National cultural monuments of the Czech Republic Culture in Prague Tourist attractions in Prague 1921 establishments in Czechoslovakia Houses in the Czech Republic Art Nouveau architecture in Prague Art Nouveau houses Modernist architecture in the Czech Republic Concert halls in the Czech Republic Prague 1