construction - November 2016

photo - Eva Vošická

 

On the corner of Národní třída and Mikulandská Street stands the Schirding Palace, also known as Kaňka's House. In 1838, the building was purchased by the renowned Prague lawyer Jan Nepomuk Kaňka. He then bequeathed it to the Foundation for Impoverished Prague Lawyers :) In 1953, an arcade was built through the house towards Národní třída, and in 1990, a memorial plaque by Miroslav Krátký and Otakar Příhoda was placed in this passageway, commemorating the events of November 17, 1989.
In 2016, the arcade was returned to the building that historically belonged to it and the memorial plaque was moved from the cramped space of the arcade to the facade of the house.
Our intention is that the beautiful arched entrance areas remain perceived as a single whole and do not lose their historical atmosphere. Therefore, we are inserting modern unique elements into the space that reflect the uniqueness of the three parts of the entrance areas – the entrance hall, reception and exhibition hall. When searching for the right shapes, we based our design on the geometry of the vaults’ transcriptions into the floor plan. Walnut solid wood and matte brass – materials that express dignity and historical context and the combination that the connection of the law firm with the Baroque house evokes. The exhibition hall houses a permanent exhibition of the history of the Czech law firm, and as a reminder of November 17, we are also proposing a publicly accessible exhibition consisting of authentic photographs by Tomki Němec.