Na Příkopě 391/7: U Dörflerů

The commercial and residential building U Dörflerů was built in 1905 by the firm of Matěj Blecha. Occupying a prime location near the lower end of Wenceslas Square, its decorative facade is the perfect example of art nouveau in action: carefully-composed motifs of shells and leaves combine with wreaths, ribbons, and classical urns in playful allusions to life and death. The peacocks guarding each of the third-floor windows are a symbol of immortality.

The architect, Jiří Justich, was a pupil of the influential Austrian architect Friedrich Ohmann, under whom he studied at the School of Applied Arts in Prague. The decorative stucco-work is by the prolific sculptor Karel Novák, who collaborated with Justich and Blecha on a number of projects including a historicist apartment block on Pařížská street.