New City Hall (Nová radnice)
New City Hall (Nová radnice) — not to be confused with the mediaeval New Town Hall (Novoměstská radnice) — was built between 1908 and 1912 according to a design by Osvald Polívka. At first, the...
Tagged: Osvald Polívka
Born near Linz in 1859, Polivka became one of the most significant exponents of the Art Nouveau period, contributing to or directing large-scale projects including the Municipal House, the New City Hall, and banking houses for Česká spořitelna, the Živnostenská banka, and others. Much admired for his use of materials and space, he was also criticized for a certain over-decoration.
Moskevská 77/4
Of the many celebrated Czech architects of the first decade of the twentieth century, perhaps the most prolific was the Austrian-born Osvald Polívka. Best known for civic projects such as Prague’s new City Hall (1911)...
Na Příkopě 864/28: Czech National Bank
The vicinity of the Czech National Bank has been a trading quarter ever since the Middle Ages, when precious metals regularly arrived at the city’s east gate from the silver mines of Kutná Hora. Nearby...
Na Příkopě 18 & 20: Zemská banka (Provincial Bank)
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, Czech politics was dominated by one question: how to gain greater autonomy from the Austrian empire (or indeed how to break with Austria entirely). The argument was...
Národní 1010/9: Topič Gallery
In 1883 the publisher František Topič opened his first bookshop here on Národní třída (National Avenue). From its central location opposite the National Theatre, Topič was able to exert great influence as a promoter of...
Náměstí Republiky 1090/5: Municipal House
The Municipal House (Obecní dům) was built between 1905 and 1912 on the site of the former Royal Court as an official centre for Czech social and cultural affairs. When an open competition for its...
Staroměstské náměstí 932/6: Ministry for Regional Development
The former Municipal Insurance Building in the Old Town Square. Designed in the neo-baroque style by the architect Osvald Polívka and constructed between 1899 and 1909, the building is now home to the Ministry for...
Karlova 178/22
This outstanding art nouveau facade designed by the architect Osvald Polívka was restored in 2005, exactly a hundred years after its completion. The sculpture of a girl with a harp and doves – possibly a...
Ruská 473/8
The facade of one of two adjacent houses both by Osvald Polívka. The mosaic between the musicians reads ‘Kde domov můj? -‘Where is my home?’ – the opening words of the Czech national anthem, music...
Václavské náměstí 832/19
Currently the home of the H&M fashion store in Wenceslas Square, this grand neo-baroque building by Friedrich Ohmann and Osvald Polívka was at one time the headquarters of the Trieste-based insurers Assicurazioni Generali. Between 1...
