A celebration needs to be unforgettable - mainly for the customer. That's how the notorious Dancing House approaches the 30th anniversary of Václav Havel's first idea to build a cultural house that would serve the public on the corner of Jirásek Square. You now have a unique opportunity not only to look into the history of the famous building, but also to see its technical background.
The house, designed by Vlad Milunić and the famous architect Frank Gehry, has become an icon of modern architecture and one of the most famous buildings in Prague. In addition to the gallery open to public, restaurant and bar with a view of Prague Castle, visitors can now take a peek at the air conditioning system or the heating system of the house.
“The tour has a total of eight parts, it begins on the second underground floor, where the engine room is located, and ends on the roof. People will also be able to look into the hotel rooms, on top of which we are opening a new terrace with an unusual view of Prague Castle and a view of the inner courtyard of the apartment where former President Václav Havel lived for several years,”
Thanks to his enduring popularity, the former President Václav Havel is also a major attraction for visitors. Havel was the one who had the idea to build a house with a view here 30 years ago - a place that would serve as an art gallery and at the same time complete the street that had been empty for more than 40 years.
A Neo-Baroque house used to stand here in the past, but it was destroyed by an American bomb after an accidental air strike on Prague in 1945. Being an artist himself, Havel loved all kinds of art, thus he more than welcomed and supported any such activity.
The Dancing House has evoked contradictory reactions ever since its completion to the present day, but it has become an integral part of Prague. The building got its name thanks to its towers, which resemble the figures of dancers Ginger Rogers and Fred Astair. The house opened to the public in 1996 and in the same year, it won the prestigious award of the American magazine Time in the category of design of the year.
Since 2016, whole four floors of the house have been taken up by a total of 40 luxury hotel rooms. As part of the tour of the normally inaccessible premises, visitors will be able to witness the transformation of the original office into a hotel room in the largest of these rooms. You can take the tour until August 31. Admission fee is included in the tickets for the Bořek Šípek exhibition, which will run until September 27. One ticket costs 190 CZK for adults and 110 CZK for seniors and students.