Ústřední dům Ořechovka Building

Welcome to Prague, the part of Rostovice. You're standing in front of a building called Ústřední dům Ořechovka. If you look at it now, you'll see a representative structure that still radiates the atmosphere of the beginning of the last century with its appearance. It's a place designed to serve as the heart of the whole neighborhood, as a social and business center for people who lived in the surrounding colony of villas. Stop for a moment, take a breath and feel the calm of this neighborhood, which this house unites with its presence. Let us now move back more than a hundred years in time. It's nine hundred twenty-one. At this time Ústřední dům Ořechovka was built. It wasn't just an ordinary house, but it was a gedacht as a resort for people from nearby villas. Imagine how a new neighborhood was formed at the time, and the residents needed a place to meet, shop and do their daily business without having to travel deep into the city centre. This is why this project was to be a practical and social pillar of the entire community. If you now focus on the design of the building itself, please note that the architect Jaroslav Vondrák was the author of this design. Look at the overall layout and facade of the house. Notice how the building looks balanced and dignified. Jaroslav Vondrák has put its experience into the project so that the house fits into the character of a villa colony, but also stands out as a main building with a wide function. Feel the purity of the lines and the way the building washes the space. It's an architecture designed to create a sense of stability and modernity at the time. Now let's imagine what was going on in these walls. Imagine you enter the year nine hundred twenty-one. This house was a real small town in one building. Note that the space was designed to handle almost everything here. There were shops in the building where people bought food and supplies. There was a post office where they exchanged letters with loved ones, and a library that served as a place for education and quiet reading. For those who needed medical assistance, there was a medical practice, and for those who were looking for company, a federal room was prepared. However, when we look at the social life, the house of Orechovka was the real center of entertainment. Introduce yourself in the year nine hundred twenty-three. It was this year that the cinema opened. At the time, the cinema was a miracle and news. The first projection that people saw here was a film called Kid, in which the famous comedian Charlie Chaplin played. You can imagine the excitement and laughter that came out of the dark hall when Chaplin's clumsy movements were alive on the screen. It was a time when cinema brought people a new world, and the house of Orechovka was the window to this world for the inhabitants of Rosovice. The interest is to see how the building evolved in the years to come. Let's move time a few years further, to the year nine hundred twenty-seven. This year, the building was expanded. New premises were added, namely theatre and dance hall. This means that the house was no longer just a place for shopping and mail, but it became a real cultural center. Imagine the festivities, dances and theatrical performances that took place here. There was music in the halls, people dancing and celebrating their holidays together. All of this included a restaurant, cafe and wine bar, where a glass of wine or a cup of coffee was discussed about politics, art and neighborly matters. It's fascinating to think how powerful this house has been linked to people's lives. It wasn't just a building made of stone and bricks, but a place full of emotion, meeting and joy. All of these functions, from the doctor to the post office to the cinema and the dance, made the house of Nuts a unique social core. This rich history and importance for the local community contributed to the fact that in the year two thousand and sixteen, the building was declared a real-estate cultural monument of the Czech Republic. With this recognition, the State has confirmed that the building has irreplaceable value and must be protected for future generations. If you stand before this monument today, perhaps this combination of practicality and elegance will interest you. It is a place that reminds us of how we used to think about urbanism and how important it was to have everything needed in one common space near home. It is a reminder of a time when people met more personally, when visiting a library or a cinema in the neighborhood was a great social event. Look around you again. Feel the atmosphere of this part of Prague. Ústřední dům Ořechovka is now part of the urban heritage and reminds us of the golden era of the flowering of the villa colonies. He is a silent witness to the transformation of the century that has survived many events and still stands as a symbol of the community and neighbourhood. Now that you know the story of this house, whose author was Jaroslav Vondrák and who has been with us since the year nine hundred twenty-one, I suggest you observe the building for a while longer. Try to imagine the excitement that existed here ten years ago, the sound of traffic from that time and the noise of calls at the cafe. This concludes our short stop guide at the Central House of Nuts. I hope you enjoyed this view of the history of Rošovice. I'm going to invite you to explore the area. Walk among the beautiful villas that make up the rest of this colony, and perceive the architecture that surrounds this space. I wish you a pleasant continued walk in Prague and a beautiful day. Goodbye.