Prague Castle Riding School
Prague Castle Riding school is a dipteral building by the U Prazskeho mostu street, which goes to the Northern gate of the Prague Castle. At the end of the 17th century, it was build in Baroque style by the constructionist Jakub Antonin Canevall. The author of the design is the architect Jean Baptiste Mathey. The entrance is decorated with stucco relief of jumping horses, weapons and busts of a Turc and a blackamoor. The Riding School was adapted as an exhibition hall in 1948 – 59 according to the project of architect Pavel Janak.
But it is also a piece of castle architect Pavel Janak, who took care of the rusty object after the war and reconstructed it professionally. At the place of former summer riding school developed so called Janak’s giardinetto – placed on the terrace of the garages object, which were projected by prof. Janak as well.
Janak, however, didn’t make everything he intended, above all they didn’t manage to pull down the inbuilt western part of the Riding school made by the Nazi. The object was also in bad shape, didn’t satisfy the demanding standards for presentation of valuable exhibits. That is maybe why it was sometimes used as a concert hall as Janak intended, because there is excellent acoustics. That, eventually, became a tradition.
The author of contemporary Riding school is the professor Ladislav Labus, who first of all pulled down the war part and gave the hall its original proportions, of course the built-in windows were renewed. The basement produced place for exhibitions and concerts, there is a new elevator etc.
The entire space was cleansed of additional adjustments, the new design is simple and effective and it is stylishly differentiated from the Baroque constructions. In the narrow wing is a café and a bookshop on the ground floor, in the main one there is the gallery and the concert hall. The early Baroque sight was newly adapted and it is ready to serve its function well.
Great windows lead on the Riding School terrace. Its roof was modified into a garden, where an interesting, unusual view of the St. Vitus cathedral, and the North fortification wall of the Prague Castle opens.
U Prasneho mostu 55, Praha 1, Hradcany
Tel: +420 224 371 111
Website: www.hrad.cz
Metro: Hradcanská
Tram 8, 18, 25, 26
Opening times: Dependent upon exhibition