Křižovnická 61/12: U Dvou štítů

The name František Sander is principally connected with the architecture of navigable waterways, particularly the Elbe and the Vltava, in the early part of the 20th century. He was responsible for the impressive Vltava embankment of 1904 running from Palacký Square to Vyšehrad. In his designs for wharfs, locks and riverside power plants he employed a variety of materials, producing architecturally handsome works in historicist style.

Less commonly, he worked on private villas and townhouses. This example, a neo-renaissance apartment block built with Alfons Šimáček, dates from 1897.  Its two unequal gables give the house its name (‘U Dvou štítů’), while the exposed brickwork —  much favoured by Sander for his industrial projects — lends a Dutch or Nordic feel to the entire facade. A typical quirkiness is to be found, too, in the art-nouveau medallion of St Vojtěch and the roofed statue of St Ludmila.