Veletržní palác Museum building

Welcome to Prague's Holešovice district. You've just stopped in front of one of the most important construction sites this city has to offer. You're standing right outside the Grand Palace. Before you take the next step, try to stop for a moment and just observe this building, which stands before your eyes. Feel its incredible size and the special power it emits. This building is not just an ordinary house, it is a monumental witness to history, which by its presence changes the atmosphere of the whole area. Perhaps at first glance you will be interested in its unusual appearance and how it differs from the older, decorated buildings you often meet in Prague. It's a space designed to impress you with its purity and dimensions.

Now let's go back in time together to understand why this building looks like this. To understand her soul, we need to look at the time when it was created. It was a time of great change and optimism. In the years between the year one thousand nine hundred twenty-five and one thousand nine hundred twenty-eight, a new era was born in Prague. The War Fair Palace was designed for a very specific purpose at the time - it was intended to serve as a venue for large sample fairs. At the time, people needed spaces that could accommodate huge numbers of people, goods and ideas. All of this ambitious intention was the capable creators, architects Josef Fuchs and Oldřich Tyl. Their vision was completely groundbreaking at the time. When construction was completed in the year one thousand and nine, twenty-eight, the world looked at this building with amazement. At that time, it was the largest building of its kind on the planet. Imagine the size of that, a total of 13,000 500 square meters of space that architects had to design and build to make sense of it all.

Now pay attention to the very form of the building you are currently observing. What you see is a pure expression of the direction we call functionalism. This style was revolutionary at the time. Instead of decorating the facades with complex sculptures, floral patterns or unnecessary decorations, the architects focused on what is essential. The function, usefulness and pure geometry were important. Now if you look at the building lines, notice how direct and logical they are. Everything here has a reason. This construction does not play on emotions through decoration, but through its massive and great organization of space. It's an architecture that says that the form must follow the function. It was this uncompromising truth about the construction that was so strong that in the year one thousand and nine, fifty-eight, the building was officially declared a cultural monument. That is recognition of its importance to our heritage.

But every such great place also has its dark sides and stories that remain in its walls. The history of this palace has not always been a way of success. We must remember the year one thousand and nine, seventy-four. That was the year the building almost became a memory. There was a huge and devastating fire that spread throughout the whole area and almost completely destroyed this important building. The flames were so strong that this symbol of modern Prague seemed to disappear forever. It was a period of uncertainty and sadness. But that's where the incredible power of this place turned out. The building has risen from the ashes again so that it can continue its service to the people.

And it is this ability to recover that has led us to what you see here today. After the restoration, the palace became a new home for the National Gallery in Prague. Since the year one thousand and nine, seventy-six have been based here, exposition that will take you on the journey through the history of the 20th and 20th first century art. The place that used to be used to sell goods and trade negotiations became a temple of culture and high art. It's a fascinating transformation.

If you're interested in anything unusual, pay attention to what's underneath the surface. This building also has its secret and less familiar parts. Do you know that in her depths, in the former underground theater, there are all kinds of stories happening today? That's where the Hero Studio is based today. It is an incredible contrast - while on the upper floors you look at the great works of painters and sculptors, in the underground you encounter a lively human voice, a theatre speech and instant energy of actors. It's like two different worlds that live in one body.

But now it's time for you to move on. The War Palace invites you to enter its heart and experience an atmosphere that cannot be described by words alone. I suggest you let the space and peace that you will find in these vast halls. Look at the exposition, try to see the light as it hits the walls, and stop at every work. Let yourself be carried away by the history you can feel every step of the way. Thank you for spending this moment with us and for being interested in this special place. We wish you a beautiful and inspiring tour in the heart of Holešovice. Enjoy the art.