Dancing House in Prague

The Dancing House is a non-standard building located in the central part of Prague near Reslová Street. The building, designed by architects Vlado Milunic and Frank Geary, resembles two dancing ballerinas from afar. And for good reason – the main architectural idea was a parallel with the most famous dancing couple of the time, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. “Dancing House” caused controversy among designers and critics, but the last word was for President Vaclav Havel, who approved the interesting project.

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Video: Dancing House in Prague

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General Information

The Dancing House in Prague consists of two towers – a bizarrely curved one and a normal one. The normal tower symbolizes the masculine Yang in Chinese philosophy, while the curved tower symbolizes the feminine Yin. In the architects’ thought, the feminine overcomes the masculine to transform it. The curved, female tower was named Ginger, after dancer Ginger Rogers, and the male tower was named Fred, after dancer Fred Astaire.

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However, not all of the plans of the creators of The Dancing House were realized. Initially it was planned that this house will become a temple of culture, that there will be a library and an art gallery, now in the “Dancing House” are offices of various companies.

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Residents of Prague have different attitudes towards the “Dancing House”, the majority (68%, according to polls) like this architectural marvel, which, in their opinion, fits perfectly into the style of Prague – the “city of a hundred towers”, but there are those who are against the new-fangled house. Opponents say that near the “Drunken House” there are classical sights of Prague, such as the National Theater and Prague Castle, with which the flamboyant style of the house does not fit at all. In any case, the Dancing House leaves no one indifferent.

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History

The history of the origin of the building is quite interesting. The house that formerly stood on the site of the Dancing House was destroyed in January 1945, during an American air raid. For half a century the place was vacant until Czech President Vaclav Havel intervened. The fact is that the house next to the destroyed house was built by the Czech president’s grandfather and was the property of the Havel family before nationalization. Now it is difficult to say whether this circumstance or another was the reason for the start of construction, but whatever the case, the Czech president decided to build another house on the site of the vacant lot, designed by the same Czech architect with Croatian roots Vlado Miluni (Vlado Miluni).

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However, the insurance company that bought the plot of land demanded that a famous Western architect be involved in the project. The choice fell on the famous Canadian-American deconstructivist architect, Pritzker Prize winner Frank Gehry. The construction of the “drunken house” was carried out from 1994 to 1996, under the personal supervision of Vaclav Havel. The main architectural idea of the building was an analogy with the famous dancing duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, known as “Ginger and Fred”. Even a cursory glance at the building is enough to see this architectural intent. One of the two cylindrical parts, the one that expands upward, symbolizes a male figure (Fred), while the second part of the building visually resembles a female figure with a thin waist and a skirt fluttering in a dance (Ginger).

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In 1994, construction began, with the participation of Croatian architect Vlado Milunic and Canadian architect Frank Gehry. They created the “Dancing House” in a deconstructivist style. The construction was completed in 1996 and caused a storm of discontent on the part of the citizens, as the “Dancing House” was built in a completely different style than the neighboring houses. But the controversy did not last long. Soon this Prague highlight was recognized as a “landmark of Prague.”

The Dancing House from the inside

There’s nothing supernatural inside the Drunken House: lots of offices, as well as a rooftop structure called “Medusa” that houses a rather expensive French restaurant and offers a panoramic view of Prague. The high prices for the dishes served in this restaurant are probably due to the desire of the managers working there to charge not only for the food itself, but also for the beautiful, romantic views of the Czech capital that the visitors of this restaurant enjoy. Here you can often see newlyweds celebrating their official or symbolic wedding in the Czech capital. In the evening you can go to the observation deck, from where it is fascinating to watch the leisurely flow of Prague life.

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How to get there

The Dancing House is located in the Prague 2 district, on the corner of Resslova Street and the Embankment (on the corner of Resslova Street and Rasinovo nabrezni). If you walk from Charles Bridge along the embankment, you can get there in 10-15 minutes.

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Metro: stop Malostranske namesti (line B)

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Tram: stop Jiraskovo namesti (streetcars 14, 17, 21)

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