The Old Prague New Monastery

Architect: Václav Hlavaček
Text: György Szegő
Photos: Tomáš Slavik

Designed by the world-famous Slovenian architect Joze Plečnik, the reconstruction of the Hradžin in the 1920s was intended to represent the newborn state. This role as a symbol of national identity was maintained after World War II, and the new Second Czech Republic paid particular attention to the renovation of these building parts. But the structure, which was originally intended to function as the provost’s residence and only served as a backdrop, was lost: it was confiscated in the 1950s and thus has remained largely abandoned ever since. During the decades of the socialist system, its courtyard and outbuildings badly deteriorated and were even destroyed, and the main building was used as a workers’ hostel. In 2016, the New Priesthood returned to the Church under the Restitution Act. At the heart of the reconstruction is the opening of the inner courtyard to the wider public. From here you have a unique panoramic view of the lower Deer Ditch; the other courtyards along the northern castle wall are closed to the public. Two new extensions have been built in this courtyard on the site of former outbuildings. The extensions are austere and at the same time fortress-like, but simultaneously they have been given a welcoming touristic character by the design of the glass façades, contrasting with the original, which retains its neo-Gothic image.

General planning: Studio Acht
Lead architect: Václav Hlaváček
Architects: Mikuláš Wittlich, Pavel Jakoubek
Fellow architects: Barbora Janů, Anna Halaburtová, Lukáš Dejdar
Structure: Jan Zima
Main contractor: ARCHAT
Client: St. Vitus Metropolitan Chapter House, Prague