Palác Chicago Palace

Welcome to the heart of Prague, a place where the history of every stone and every line meets a bold vision of the future. You're standing in front of one of the most striking symbols of modern thinking in our metropolis. Look around you, you're in New Town, in an area that is so crucial and alive to Prague. It is here, at the interface of the streets of Kharvatov and National, that a building stands before your eyes, which at the time of its creation is likely to shock and admire its surroundings. Palác Chicago. Although its name may trigger memories of a distant American metropolis, its soul is deeply Prague, and yet it is constantly heading towards the horizons of the new world.

Now let's go back in time together to understand why this place looks just like this. Imagine the end of the 1920s. Praha is a city that is undergoing a huge transformation. The old world, represented by decorative and heavy buildings, is beginning to give way to new periods of optimism, speed and functionality. It was during this period between 1927 and 1928 that a whole new chapter began to be written here. At the place where the traditional Neo-Renaissance house was built, she was determined to build something that defined a modern city.

This bold move was not random. A man with a great name and even more visionary - Jindřich hrabě Kolowrat-Krakowský - was behind the whole creation of this palace. His role in this story is fascinating. The building of the palace was not only a question of architecture, but a result of a very interesting property exchange. The Count has decided to boldly move his interest in the advancement of this modern palace in exchange for his castle in Týnka. It was a decision that symbolized the transition from a traditional, rural aristocratic way of life to a dynamic, urban and commercial world that was just then beginning to dominate.

Now pay attention to the very construction that is surrounding you. Notice the purity and rhythm of this facade. The architecture you are currently observing was one of the most modern in Prague at the time of its completion. It was created by masters of their field, Josef Havlíček and Jaroslav Polívka. These architects didn't just want to build buildings, they wanted to create new ways of life. If you look at the palace's overall composition now, you can see in it the invisible but strong inspiration that came from the other side of the ocean.

Notice how this building is trying to communicate from heaven. Its shapes and lines are not random, they are inspired by American skyscrapers, which at that time represented the peak of human technical progress and ambition. Although it is not a skyscraper in the true sense of the word, its spirit is present here in every detail that goes towards efficiency, light and modern use of space. At the time of its creation, this building was considered to be the ultimate peak of modern construction.

If you want to understand how much this object was perceived as revolutionary, we need to look at the then professional public. The magazine Role, which at that time was an important voice for modern ideas, wrote very strong sentences about this palace. He described it as one of the most modern works in the whole of Prague and compared it to the then Bata Palace, which was the highest possible laur at the time. This gives us a clear idea that you are facing a monument which, at the time of its creation, was not just an ordinary building but a manifesto of a new era.

But it is interesting to see how the fate of this place changed over the decades. The modern palace, built with such an emphasis on the future, had to respond over time to the changing needs of the city. At the end of the 1920s, for example, an agricultural product shop was set up in the building, an interesting contrast between its cosmopolitan, American spirit and the daily needs of the city's inhabitants. The modern architectural miracle became part of ordinary urban life, which served people in many different forms.

Today, this palace has returned to its original, ambitious essence, albeit in a different format. It is mainly used as a complex of office spaces, supplemented by commercial spaces that revive this place again. It is a fascinating cycle - from revolutionary architectural work, to practical use for the needs of the time, to the current role of the modern business centre in the heart of the metropolis.

If you look at the palace, you might think of one question that might create some mystery in us. How did it happen that in such a traditional part of Prague, where history intersects in every alley, someone was able to promote such a radical and foreign vision? Perhaps the answer is precisely that big changes always begin with the bold steps of individuals like Count Kolowrat-Krakowski, who did not hesitate to abandon the old certainty for the opportunity to create something completely new.

Now we leave you with your imagination and the feeling this building has left in you. You are witnessing great ambitions and architecture, which is not afraid to dream of skyscrapers in the middle of Europe. I suggest you continue your walk around New Town. See other facades around, feel the rhythm of these streets and try to find a story in every building that hides behind her lines. Praha is filled with such moments when what we see meets what has been dreamed of in the past. We thank you for your journey together and we will help you to continue to discover the beauty of our city.