Brutalism and communist-era architecture in Prague

Most visitors come for the Baroque and the Gothic. Some of the most interesting architecture in the city is concrete. It was built to a plan, by a state that wanted to impress and to house people quickly. Ugly or fascinating, it's part of Prague.

The 1950s: Stalinist style

In the early years of communist rule, after 1948, official architecture borrowed from the Soviet model: heavy, symmetrical buildings with classical details. The Hotel International in Dejvice is the famous Prague example, a Stalinist-era building with a tower, at the head of a boulevard of the same period. Our guide to Dejvice covers the area.

The giant Stalin monument on Letná hill was unveiled in 1955 and removed in 1962. A metronome now stands where it was, and the hill is a park and beer garden with river views; see our Letná guide.

The 1960s and 1970s: modernism and Brutalism

Decoration went out and concrete became the main material. Three buildings capture the period.

The former Federal Assembly, completed in the early 1970s next to the National Museum, combines glass and stone in a monumental form. It now belongs to the museum, as our National Museum guide explains.

Kotva, the department store at Náměstí Republiky, was completed in 1975 and designed by Věra and Vladimír Machonin. Its stepped, overhanging structure divided opinion and is now counted among the country's most significant Brutalist buildings.

The Congress Centre (formerly the Palace of Culture) opened in 1981, a huge glass-and-concrete complex above the Nusle valley. It was built for Communist Party congresses and other events, and is now a congress and concert venue.

The television tower

The Žižkov Television Tower was built between 1985 and 1992 and is the tallest structure in Prague. It is a high-tech tower of tubes and capsules, and in 2000 David Černý's sculptures of crawling babies were attached to it. Opinion ranges from loved to loathed, though most locals have made their peace. Our Žižkov guide places it in the neighbourhood.

The panelák

Most Praguers don't live in historic buildings. Large parts of the city, especially in Prague 4, 8, 9 and 10, are panelákové sídliště, housing estates assembled from prefabricated concrete panels. They went up from the 1950s to the 1980s to house a growing population quickly. Some districts, such as Jižní Město, were planned as whole towns.

The estates are often greener and better served by transport than visitors expect, with parks, schools and shops. Many panel blocks have been insulated and repainted since 1989, which has changed their look. Living in one is common; our guide to Prague 4 shows an estate district.

Memory and conservation

The argument over what to preserve goes on. Some communist-era buildings have been demolished and others protected, and views differ because the buildings are tied to a period of political repression. The Memorial to the Victims of Communism on Petřín hill is a reminder of that context, and our guide to communist Czechoslovakia tells the story.

A route

Start at the National Museum and look at the former Federal Assembly, walk to Kotva at Náměstí Republiky, then take the metro to the Congress Centre. Add Letná and the metronome for the view. It's a half-day with plenty of metro time, and our transport guide explains the ticket.

Do this today

Take the metro to Muzeum, look at the museum's New Building and then at Kotva, and decide which is the better piece of concrete.