Palác Koruna, Art Nouveau palace at Wenceslas Square, Prague, Czech Republic
Palác Koruna is a six-story corner building with a rectangular plan, designed by Antonín Pfeiffer and Matěj Blecha, with sculptural decoration by Stanislav Sucharda. Its reinforced concrete skeleton extends two floors underground and four above, and a sloped passage with a central hall leads to a corner tower crowned by a dome with stained glass.
The palace replaced the demolished House U Špinků, whose Café Wien had hosted Czech patriots such as František Palacký and František Ladislav Rieger in the 1860s. Built by the First Czech General Joint-Stock Company for Life Insurance, later renamed Koruna, it opened on 7 March 1914. Its reinforced-concrete skeleton was among the first in Prague.
The ground floor once housed Prague's first food vending machines and the Koruna automat, a restaurant that introduced new ways of dining to the city. These spaces showed how the building embraced modern convenience in everyday life.
The palace has two underground levels and four above ground, with a passage and central hall linking Wenceslas Square and Na Příkopě. The ground floor and basement were converted for retail use between 1991 and 1996, so shops and services sit below the offices.
The crown cupola of the corner tower incorporates thousands of glass elements arranged in geometric patterns that create delicate art forms. This refined glasswork demonstrates the craftsmanship and attention to detail in the original construction.
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