“The way Prague Castle looks is definitely related to the political situation, the atmosphere of the time. We have such rather sad periods here, when the Castle was perhaps empty,” describes architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš. He recalls the “dark period” under communism, when almost nothing was accessible, and the time when Prague Castle was opened to culture by Václav Havel: “I hope that this time will return to the Castle.”
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Spotlight Aktuálně.cz – Zdeněk Lukeš | Video: Jakub Zuzánek
“There are certainly objects that could perhaps be used in a different way than they are used today,” says Zdenek Lukeš about places that are currently hidden from the public eye at Prague Castle. However, not all of them can be made available.
“There are some places, but there aren’t many reserves anymore. But, for example, the grounds of the Purkrabství could be used, for example, for film festivals. I think it’s such a hidden treasure,” reveals the architect, who has been working at Prague Castle since the 1990s century.
According to Lukeš, architectural gems are not only found in the Castle. According to him, recently it can be seen how much potential the entire capital has. He particularly welcomes the Vltava Philharmonic project of the Danish studio Bjarke Ingels Group.
“The place has enormous potential, it is very close to the historic center, and from the roof of the new building you will be able to see the whole of Prague. In addition, we will get very interesting architecture from a team that today belongs to the highest quality in the world,” praises the expert.
On the other hand, he has certain reservations about, for example, the modern Masaryčka complex designed by Zaha Hadid’s London studio. “I’m not saying that it’s the best Zaha Hadid project I’ve seen. On the other hand, Prague needs bold architecture, because if we’ve built excellently in all stages, we can’t give up on that. The city must continue to develop,” adds the architect.
