Prague's Villa Neighbourhoods

Prague is a dazzling treasure trove of historical styles. Dazzled by this boundless beauty, one might overlook interesting buildings born in later styles. True, some defy this thanks to their unmissable size or purpose. However, we also have numerous examples of smaller-scale architecture that are worthy of a closer, more enchanted look.

If we have called historical Prague a treasure trove, its residential districts can be considered treasure chests overflowing with villas. Many offer a pure example of a specific movement, while others present a charming mix of the most diverse styles. Here and there, we are delighted by romantic, austere, and eclectic historicism, followed by Art Nouveau and the Beuron Art School, then Cubism and Rondo-Cubism, Functionalism, Purism, Art Deco, the eclectic style… and also Socialist Realism or successful examples of the most modern approaches.

We will walk through a dozen villa districts with an expert guide, journalist Pavel Švec, who makes no secret of the fact that he studied architecture and that it is his lifelong love. He gives us a “travel map” of each area, thanks to which our wanderings – even to places we thought we knew well – will take on a new dimension.

In the vast majority of cases, the author introduces us to residential houses – through text, maps, and photographs. In doing so, he is aware that such a building has not only an architectural and technical history but also a human one. Thanks to this, he also acquaints us with the fates of the individuals who signed off on the architectural project, and especially those who had the villa built and lived in it.

The book is published with the kind permission of the news portal Aktuálně.cz from the Economia media house, where the basis of the text was originally published, and it will take you to these villa districts: Vinohrady/Strašnice/Podolí/Hodkovičky/Barrandov/Malvazinky/Smíchov/Ořechovka/Hanspaulka/Baba/Bubeneč/Troja.