Ředitelství pošt a telegrafů Town hall

Welcome to Pardubice. You are standing right in the part of the city called Zelené Předměstí and just before your eyes one of the most important buildings in this district is standing. Before we go into deeper exploration, let yourself stand for a moment and perceive the overall atmosphere of this place. Look at this building. Feel its presence, its purity, and the special power it radiates from it. The Ředitelství pošt a telegrafů stands before you. It is a building that carries within it the spirit of a time when the world was changing, when people were looking forward to new technologies and when architecture stopped being just heavy matter and became an expression of a new, free era. This building is not just an official building, it is a symbol of progress that has been so strongly controlling the human mind in these years.

Let us now return together to the time when these first stones and bricks began to lay down. Imagine the atmosphere between a thousand and nine hundred twenty-two three and a thousand nine hundred twenty-five. It was a time of great change and great hope. It was during this period that this place was created to serve the most important - to ensure a connection between people. The post office and telegraph were the nerves of society at the time, the way information spread through the world. However, in order to make the construction so important, it was necessary to choose the best and most visible minds. There was a big architectural competition in which the young and very capable architect Ladislav Machoň from Prague won. His proposal was so strong and precise that he could not be overlooked. However, this building is not the work of just one man. The local expert, Bóža Dvořák, made a major contribution to its resulting shape and to how the individual premises are located inside. He just prepared those important drawings that allowed the vision to turn into a real, functional and beautiful reality.

Now pay attention to the architecture itself, which you are now observing. If you look at the building from a certain angle, you'll notice something very specific. Its ground plan resembles the letter L. This shape was not selected randomly or just for aesthetic impression. The architects have decided that the building will faithfully copy the line of the former city walls. It's a fascinating way of trying to connect new, modern architecture to the history of this place. The building tries not to rewrite the past, but rather to wedge it and work with it. In this way, this building gains its absolutely unique identity. It's a combination of old city defense and a new, open and functional era. Feel those lines moving and connecting to the surrounding space. Although time is changing and the world around us is constantly changing, this building has retained its solid and clear form. Its importance for the city was so great that already in the year one thousand nine hundred sixty-four it was officially declared a cultural monument. And even though the building has stood for almost a hundred years, in the year two thousand twenty-one, it underwent a very extensive renewal of its outer part, so that it can shine again in all its beauty and make its face as bright as originally designed by the authors.

When we talk about the people who created this work, we have to realize how important their relationship to space was. Ladislav Machoň was a man who was not an afraid, so he was not brave in what modern style means. His work in Prague and here in Pardubice shows how much architecture has managed to move forward. Bóža Dvořák, in turn, represents the necessary connecting force between a large, bold vision and the practical need to actually use space for people. Together they created a work that we now see as one solid and inseparable whole.

And now I'm going to tell you something that may really surprise you if you ever decide to enter the interior of this building. Even though it appears to be strict, clean and very functional from the outside, inside there is a real treasure that carries an element of mystery. In the interior you will find a pair of marble statues. But they are not ordinary statues. They're creatures from ancient, prehistoric times, specifically teeth. Imagine the unexpected contrast. You enter a modern, geometrical environment where only your walk is heard, and all of a sudden you run into these massive, ancient creatures. These sculptures are made in a very specific style, which was at the time extremely popular, style with distinctive geometric shapes and clean lines. Imagine the beauty - the hard, cold marble and these mighty creatures who persist in silence and give the place a sense of unexpected nobility. It's like the history of the country, the oldest, meets the history of a modern city.

I hope that this brief view of Ředitelství pošt a telegrafů inspired you at least a little bit and that you have now better imagined what is in these walls. This building is a living witness to history, which is still standing and waiting for other observers to see more than bricks and plaster. So continue to walk on the Green Suburb, look around you and let yourself be carried away by the beauty of Pardubice. Thank you for your attention and I wish you a wonderful rest of the day on your next discovery of our city.