The Velvet Revolution
November 1989 brought mass protests against totalitarianism that ended the rule of the Communist Party within a few weeks. Architects also joined the revolution—they established the Civic Forum of Architecture, where they began formulating the necessary changes in the field.
Czechoslovak borders open
Shortly after the Velvet Revolution, the borders opened and travel was no longer a rare privilege. This freedom of movement quickly transformed architecture as well: architects, including students, began gaining experience abroad, partly thanks to scholarship trips within the framework of the Jaromír Krejcar Award.
Society of Architects established
The Society of Architects was established after the dissolution of the communist Union of Czech Architects as a voluntary professional association. In the 1990s, it promoted Czech architecture both at home and abroad, published the magazine Architekt, and began awarding its Grand Prix. Its first chairwoman was Alena Šrámková.
Prague Castle's Development Plan
After the revolution, Václav Havel wanted to open Prague Castle to the public and make it a symbol of the new democracy. Thanks to his initiative, a number of celebrated projects were created at the castle in the 1990s, such as Eva Jiřičná's Orangery, Josef Pleskot's modifications to the Deer Moat, and countless beautiful smaller interventions.
Václav Havel elected president
With the election of Václav Havel as democratic president, Czechoslovakia severed ties with the previous regime. Havel had a strong relationship with architecture. Following the example of President Masaryk, he established the position of castle architect, held by designer Bořek Šípek. Architect Miroslav Masák became the president's expert advisor.
Václav Havel calls panel housing estates 'Rabbit Hutches'
After the revolution, panel housing estates became the target of architectural criticism for their urbanism and scale. In February 1990, during a visit to Jižní Město, President Václav Havel even called them "rabbit hutches." The term caught on, even though nearly a third of Czechs lived in panel housing blocks at the time, and still do today.
First free parliamentary elections
The first free parliamentary elections since 1946 took place in June 1990 and were marked by extraordinary turnout—over 96% of voters went to the polls. The Civic Forum won overwhelmingly and gained a mandate for fundamental transformation of the country. Architects were also part of the Civic Forum, though most did not choose a parliamentary career.
First elections to Prague City Assembly post-revolution
The first post-revolution elections to the Prague City Assembly took place in autumn 1990 and opened the way to fundamental decisions about the city's future direction. Jaroslav Kořán became mayor, and his era is associated with the arrival of the first foreign investors to Prague.
Restitution Act passed
The Restitution Act of 1991 opened the way for returning property confiscated after 1948. In architecture and urbanism, it marked a fundamental turning point: houses were returned to their original owners, sales and repairs got underway, and all of this began to change the face of the largely dilapidated historic building stock.
Workshop Prague 91
Workshop Prague 91 was an international urban planning workshop on the future development of Prague. It was attended by architects from Czechoslovakia and abroad, including "starchitects" Jean Nouvel and Ricardo Bofill. The workshop went beyond the planned brainstorming format, helping to establish key professional contacts.
General Czechoslovak Exhibition
The General Czechoslovak Exhibition with the motto "The World We Want to Live In" was supposed to confidently showcase the new democratic republic. Prepared in haste and without political support, it ended in economic fiasco—leaving many scars on Prague Exhibition Grounds but also three architecturally significant buildings.
First Stavoprojekt shuts down
The breakup of the giant socialist state design institutes under the Stavoprojekt system marked a fundamental turning point for the architectural profession. It didn't happen overnight: the institutes first continued operating in transition, then were privatized or architects left them to establish their own studios. Stavoprojekt Plzeň was the first to close in 1991.
Křižík Pavilions, Spiral Theater, Pyramid
The chaotic preparations for the General Czechoslovak Exhibition left three extraordinary buildings at Prague Exhibition Grounds: Křižík Pavilions, the Pyramid, and the Spiral Theater. Each is different, yet together they capture the energy, themes, and architectural approaches of the early 1990s.
Architects: 1 | Michal Brix, 2 | Josef Matyáš, 3 | Lo-Tech (Jindřich Smetana, Tomáš Kulík, Jan Louda, Zbyšek Stýblo)
First IKEA opens
The opening of the first IKEA store in Czechoslovakia was a nationwide event. The ribbon-cutting at the new IKEA in the department store DBK (House of Interior Culture) on Budějovická took place at seven o'clock in the morning, with Finance Minister Václav Klaus in attendance. The massive crowds of customers confirmed the hunger for a new way of living.
Voucher privatization launched
Voucher privatization enabled anyone who had 1,000 crowns for a voucher booklet to participate in the transfer of state property into private hands. Nearly 12 million citizens of Czechoslovakia took part in the two waves. The process was managed by Podnik výpočetní techniky (Computing Technology Company), which was rapidly growing at the time and built a fitting postmodern headquarters in Libeň.
Hilton Prague Hotel
The construction of what is now the Hilton Prague hotel was a harbinger of coming changes. With its monumental appearance, it embodied the dreams of Western capitalist grandeur at the time. Today, its controversial size is a reminder of a groundbreaking period in construction—and its mistakes.
Architects: Stanislav Franc, Jan Nováček, Vladimír Fencl
First McDonald's opens
The first McDonald's branch opened on Vodičkova and served roughly 11,000 customers on its very first day. The grand opening was attended by Czech celebrities and the American ambassador. The event became one of the most visible symbols of Western brands entering post-revolutionary Prague.
Czech Chamber of Architects established
The Czech Chamber of Architects (ČKA) was established in 1992 as a statutory professional body. It introduced authorization for architects, set ethical, professional, and legislative standards for professional practice, and began overseeing the legitimacy of architectural competitions. The first chairman of the ČKA was Jan Štípek.
Hotel Hoffmeister
Hotel Hoffmeister attracted tourists with its location below Prague Castle and postmodern architecture evoking old Prague. It offered maximum comfort, including underground parking. Critics still object to the building's dormers, colors, and pseudo-Baroque style, but it fits surprisingly well into its surroundings.
Architect: Petr Keil
Prague inscribed on UNESCO List
The inscription of Prague's historic center on the UNESCO World Heritage List confirmed its extraordinary heritage value. At the same time, it created pressure for stricter protection of the city's historic structure, as well as strain on its accommodation infrastructure. Inclusion on the prestigious list triggered a tourism boom.
Constitution of the Czech Republic adopted
The Constitution of the Czech Republic was adopted by the Czech National Council on December 16, 1992 and came into effect on January 1, 1993 with the creation of the independent Czech Republic, replacing the federal constitution. It defined the separation of powers and created a framework for the protection of property rights and local self-government, crucial for the development of cities and architecture.
IBC Těšnov
IBC Těšnov was the first post-revolutionary administrative center to pave the way for new commercial construction with flexible leases. The project also brought Czech architects valuable collaboration with foreign designers.
Architects: Martin Kotík, Václav Králíček
Independent Czech Republic formed
The formation of the Czech Republic on January 1, 1993 completed the process of dividing Czechoslovakia and opened a new chapter in modern history. The independent state gained its own political institutions, economic responsibility, and international standing. Czechoslovakia had existed since 1918.
Czech crown introduced
The introduction of the Czech crown occurred in February 1993 after the dissolution of the Czechoslovak monetary union. The separation of currencies was accompanied by the founding of the Czech National Bank and the creation of the new state's independent monetary policy. Painter and graphic designer Oldřich Kulhánek designed the banknotes.
Špaček's House demolished
The demolition of Špaček's House on Klimentská ranks among the biggest heritage controversies of the 1990s. The investor had the neo-Baroque building demolished for a more lucrative new construction, despite loud protests from experts and the public. The case opened a debate at the time about whether heritage protection could achieve anything here.
Grand Prix of the Society of Architects established
The Grand Prix of the Society of Architects emerged as the first post-revolutionary architectural prize in the country, recognizing the best buildings of the 1990s. It was first awarded in 1993 and considered all projects completed since 1990. The main prize that year went to the Spiral Theater at Prague Exhibition Grounds.
Apartment privatization launched
In 1994, parliament approved the law on apartment ownership, which opened the way for mass privatization. Until then, private individuals owned only a fraction of the housing stock; most belonged to municipalities and cooperatives. The law established priority sale of apartments to existing tenants.
Office of the Chief Architect of Prague dissolved
The closure of the Office of the Chief Architect of Prague in 1994 ended the operations of an institution with decisive influence on the city's urban development. This step, motivated by efforts to do away with socialist institutions, led to weakened regulation, a planning vacuum, and a decline in residential construction.
Metro B Bridge Tunnel
The Metro B bridge tunnel, winding its way between the prefab housing blocks of Jihozápadní Město estate, is one of the most surprising engineering projects of the late 1980s and early 1990s. The steel structure, manufactured by the legendary Vítkovice Ironworks, carries the metro above ground—making this only the second location in Prague where it did so.
Architects: Vladimír Kraus, Vladimír Vondraš
Private developers arrive
In the early 1990s, Prague's construction was shaped primarily by foreign investors. The first domestic property developers appeared in the mid-1990s—for example, today's property development giant Central Group was founded in 1994. It is one of the few companies from that time to have weathered market upheavals.
Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in Strašnice
Strašnice waited seventy years for a new church. During socialism, its construction was not possible, so it was not built until the mid-1990s. The architect conceived it as a 'biblical tent' (or tabernacle) and designed it from wood—an inexpensive material, but one that few people knew how to work with at the time.
Architect: Jindřich Synek
Metro B section Nové Butovice—Zličín opens
After the revolution, the metro was built primarily by extending existing lines. Specifically, line B reached Jihozápadní Město, one of Prague's largest housing estates, in the mid-1990s. It brought both a long-awaited connection to the city center and playfully postmodern architecture.
First home improvement store opens
As they say, every Czech is a handyman. During socialism, people built things themselves using materials accumulated over many years. The era of shortages in tools and equipment for homes, workshops, and gardens definitively ended with the arrival of home improvement stores—the first to open was OBI in Štěrboholy.
The reconstruction of Lion’s Court at Prague Castle
Lion's Court underwent reconstruction in the 1990s based on a design by Josef Pleskot's studio: the original layout was restored, historical layers were preserved, and an inconspicuous extension with a kitchen and glass-enclosed lounge was added. Today, it frames a view of the Royal Garden, Prague Castle, and St. Vitus Cathedral.
Architects: Vladimír Krajíc, Peter Lacko, Radek Lampa, Josef Pleskot, Jana Vodičková
Pragobanka
Pragobanka is one of the most striking bank buildings in 1990s Prague. Located on a street corner in Strašnice, it combines neo-functionalist and high-tech motifs that reflected the dynamism of the new financial institution—and, in fact, of the entire Czech Republic at that time.
Architect: Radim Kousal
Don Giovanni Hotel completed
The Don Giovanni Hotel became a symbol of 1990s architecture—a kind of emblem of the nineties kitsch. The enormous hotel, impossible to overlook in Prague's skyline, has been the target of harsh criticism and ridicule since its opening, and still is to this day.
Mortgages introduced
Českomoravská hypoteční banka (Czech-Moravian Mortgage Bank) became the first in the Czech Republic to receive a license to provide mortgage loans. The new financial instrument got off to a slow start—during the first year, only about 150 people took out a mortgage. The first project successfully sold through mortgages was the villa community Malá Šárka.
Czech Republic joins OECD
On December 21, 1995, the Czech Republic became the 26th member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This made it one of the first transition economies admitted to the OECD. The step significantly strengthened its international position and credibility for foreign investors.
Record number of architectural competitions
Even in the 1990s, architectural competitions were seen as the most democratic way of selecting a design. However, their adoption in practice advanced slowly. The peak was in 1996, when roughly 40 competitions took place in the Czech Republic, but the upward trend did not continue—in 2004, only 11 were organized.
Computing Technology Company
Computing Technology Company (Podnik výpočetní techniky) grew rapidly during the era of coupon privatization and needed new headquarters. The building, nicknamed the "flagship of Czech capitalism," combined many forms and even included surprising details, such as classic prefab housing block windows. Unsurprisingly, contemporary critics had mixed reactions to the building.
Architect: Jan Hančl
Polyfunctional Sulzer Building
Few people notice the polyfunctional Sulzer building at first glance. It does not try to stand out, but rather takes its surroundings into account. That is why it appears self-assured and reminds us that the loudest buildings are not always the best.
Architect: Vladimír Lacina
Sipral Factory
The story of Sipral is a textbook example of the entrepreneurial dream of the 1990s. The growing facade manufacturer needed proper headquarters, so a building dressed in trapezoidal sheet metal and glass arose in Strašnice. To this day, it remains proof that good architecture is the best form of advertising.
Architect: Stanislav Fiala
Myslbek Palace
Myslbek Palace was one of the first major foreign investments in Prague after the Velvet Revolution. Its appearance and construction provoked strong reactions—people disliked its postmodern forms and criticized the lack of transparency in the investment tender. However, the harsh criticism is now a thing of the past and the building works well in its setting.
Architects: Zdeněk Hölzel, Jan Kerel, Claude Parent
Dancing House opens
When the Dancing House was being built, passengers on trams along Rašínovo nábřeží reportedly crowded to the windows to catch a glimpse of this building from a world-famous architect taking shape. Today, tourists gather here, taking photos of themselves in front of it in all sorts of poses. The Dancing House has quite simply become an icon—in all its complexity.
The H-System scandal
The H-System scandal ranks among the largest cases of fraud in post-revolutionary construction. The project, which promised affordable housing near Prague, collapsed, leaving over a thousand families without homes or savings. The perpetrator of the fraud served 12 years for embezzlement. The case fundamentally undermined trust in developers and their promises in the 1990s—and in some ways the uncertainty persists to this day.
The currency crisis
The currency crisis in 1997 ended the period of economic optimism in the first half of the 1990s. The Czech crown came under heavy pressure, the Czech National Bank had to abandon the fixed exchange rate, and the economy slowed down significantly. The largest currency crisis in Czech history revealed the weaknesses of transformation policy.
Michal Caban's Apartment
The attic apartment near Wenceslas Square became the star of lifestyle magazines at the time. The well-known theater artists, the Caban brothers, combined textures, colors, and references to Egyptian pyramids with postmodern exaggeration. The result was a spectacular interior show.
Architects: Šimon Caban, Michal Caban
The new entrance to the Office of the President of the Czech Republic
The new entrance to the Office of the President of the Czech Republic was created in place of a former window in the Second Courtyard of Prague Castle. The striking portal with a canopy, under which stands a gilded, winged leopardess, is a confident postmodern gesture that has taken root well at the Castle.
Architects: Bořek Šípek, Radovan Hora
Václav Klaus's government falls
As a result of the currency and financial crisis, political turbulence, and scandals surrounding the financing of ODS (Civic Democratic Party), Václav Klaus's minority government fell at the end of 1997. The crisis ended one phase of transformation and opened a debate about the transparency of politics and the functioning of the state.
Černý Most Center opens
The Černý Most Center was the first modern shopping center in the country. It attracted customers by offering installment purchases, family entertainment under one roof, and two thousand parking spaces. It also triggered an avalanche of similar complexes built on the outskirts of Prague.
Metrostav Commercial and Administrative Center
In the 1990s, Metrostav chose Karlín as the location for its new headquarters and announced a prestigious competition that attracted leading architects. The winning design featured a clear separation of functions and the first double glass facade in the Czech Republic. Today, however, the building suffers from insufficient maintenance and is becoming dated.
Architects: Václav Králíček, Emil Přikryl, Břetislav Lukeš, Zdeněk Korch, Vladislav Beka
Hockey victory in Nagano
The Czech team's Olympic triumph in Nagano culminated in a memorable final against Russia. The 1-0 win triggered mass celebrations and had strong symbolic significance: the young state defeated a country that had exercised political power over Czechoslovakia for decades.
Footbridge over Chotkova Street
The footbridge over Chotkova Street was built with the support of VIZE 97, the Václav and Dagmar Havel Foundation. It replaced the original heavy concrete structure with a postmodern steel bridge that connects Prague Castle with Letná and brings a fresh impulse to the historic environment.
Architect: Bořek Šípek
The Opposition Agreement
The Opposition Agreement of 1998 united longtime political rivals Václav Klaus and Miloš Zeman in a pragmatic pact. ODS (Civic Democratic Party) committed to tolerating the ČSSD (Czech Social Democratic Party) minority government in exchange for a share of power. The agreement stabilized the political scene but provoked strong criticism for weakening the role of the opposition.
Rajská zahrada Metro Station
Rajská zahrada is architecturally the best metro station of the 1990s. It opened itself up to the light with a glass facade, surprising visitors with its multi-level track system and striking high-tech aesthetics. Infrastructure normally kept underground became a landmark of the housing estate.
Architects: Patrik Kotas, Jaroslav Kácovský
U Kříže Residential Complex
The U Kříže residential complex was Karel Prager's largest post-revolution project. He designed it as an antithesis to prefab housing estates: with colors, greenery, relaxed urbanism, and a promenade between thirteen buildings. Prager's architectural studio GAMA also acted as a co-investor in the project.
Architect: Karel Prager
Czech Republic joins NATO
The Czech Republic's entry into NATO in 1999 completed its political orientation toward the West. Together with Poland and Hungary, the Czech Republic became part of the collective defense system and definitively broke away from the post-Soviet sphere of influence.
Orangery at Prague Castle
The new Orangery remains the most striking modern building in the Royal Garden. The 85-meter-long tubular glass structure with stainless steel rods stands on the site where the original orangery, designed to protect heat-loving plants, existed as early as the 16th century.
Architects: Eva Jiřičná, Petr Vágner
Catalog houses for everyone
Catalog houses in the 1990s offered a fast track to homeownership. Initially, they were accessible mainly through specialized construction fairs, but the breakthrough came in 1999 with the first mass-distributed Katalog rodinných domů (Catalog of Family Houses), which was published as a supplement to the popular magazine Můj dům (My House).
Hvězda Residential Complex
The Hvězda residential complex brought Vlado Milunić's expressive architecture to Petřiny: turrets, jagged floor plans, and colorful facades were supposed to "sweeten" the monotonous housing estate. The project attracted interest with its spacious apartments and Mediterranean atmosphere. However, the quality of the construction was marked by the compromises of 1990s development.
Architect: Vlado Milunić
Malá Šárka in Nebušice
Malá Šárka was the first Czech "gated community." An American investor transplanted a Western vision of pastel villas with shutters and round-the-clock security here. Next to the international school, a safe enclave for diplomats was created—a piece of Beverly Hills in Nebušice.
Architect: Luc-Emile Bouche Florin
Palmovka Park
The Palmovka Park administrative center responds to the fragmented urban structure of Libeň. Architects from Josef Pleskot's studio divided the building into two structures, thereby preserving the original passage through the site and the existing greenery. The facades were designed in a technical style as a reference to Palmovka's industrial history.
Architects: Josef Pleskot, Peter Lacko, Radek Lampa, Pavel Rydlo
Anti-globalization protests in Prague
Anti-globalization protests in 2000 accompanied the meeting of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank in Prague. Twelve thousand demonstrators protesting against the power of transnational capital occupied the city center. Clashes with police brought the city center to a standstill for several days, and 900 people were detained.
MUZO Prague
The MUZO Center was a sensation in its day: a glass cube hidden in a park, a facade reflecting the trees, and an unexpectedly bright, layered interior full of unusual details. An office building that was ahead of its time, both in terms of technology and design.
Architect: Stanislav Fiala
The facades of prefab buildings in the Bohnice housing estate
In Bohnice, the insulation of prefab housing blocks took on a new dimension. The facades were designed by architects from Ladislav Lábus' studio. They divided the giant 'mega-buildings' and attempted to give them a human scale—a groundbreaking achievement at a time when prefab housing was widely despised.
Architects: Ladislav Lábus, David Mareš, Dagmar Prášilová
The new studio building of Czech Radio
The new studio building of Czech Radio was constructed on a plot directly above the metro tunnels. The recording studios are therefore suspended on springs, and the entire building is designed as a technically precise "silent fortress." It appears modest from the outside, but inside it hides a generous hall and state-of-the-art facilities.
Architects: Václav Alda, Petr Dvořák, Martin Němec, Ján Stempel
Zlatý Anděl opens
Four years after the opening of the Dancing House, Zlatý Anděl was completed on the opposite bank of the Vltava—the second building in Prague by a world-class architect. The administrative building on the corner of Nádražní and Bozděchova was designed by Jean Nouvel for the insurance company Nationale Nederlanden, which also financed the Dancing House.
Nový Smíchov Cultural and Commercial Center
While elsewhere shopping malls were drowning in a sea of parking lots on the outskirts, Nový Smíchov took the opposite approach—bringing the mall into the city, closer to the people. Built on the site of a Tatra factory, it features a shopping arcade and what was then a record-breaking green roof.
Architects: Jaroslav Zima, Tomáš Prouza, Sabina Měšťanová, Martin Rajniš
Corso Karlín built
At the turn of the millennium, Corso Karlín joined the portfolio of projects in Prague by star architects from the West. The administrative building, designed by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill, was created through the conversion of a former factory hall of the engineering company ČKD.
Four Seasons Hotel Prague
The Four Seasons Hotel was a 1990s bombshell dropped into the historic center, but its impact was ultimately masked by architecture. The new sandstone building blends in so well between three historic houses that the luxury five-star hotel looks like a long-time resident.
Architects: Jiří Hůrka, Vítězslava Rothbauerová
Villa Nebušice
The 1990s were a period of catalog houses and "entrepreneurial baroque." However, you will find neither balustrades nor traditional roofing on the villa in Nebušice. Instead, raw materials and atypical details that define Stanislav Fiala's signature style were used.
Architect: Stanislav Fiala
St. Prokop Community Center
St. Prokop Church stands on the edge of Sluneční náměstí (Sun Square) as an ornate counterpoint to the surrounding pragmatic prefab housing blocks. The elliptical sanctuary is connected to a cuboid-shaped building, and together they form a community center that appealed to Catholics and non-Catholics alike in the 1990s.
Architects: Zdeněk Jiran, Michal Kohout
The passage through the rampart of the Powder Bridge
The passage leading through the rampart of the Powder Bridge made the entire Deer Moat accessible as a continuous pedestrian route. The egg-shaped passage made of exposed brickwork follows the Brusnice stream, above which visitors walk on a metal grate. To this day, the construction is one of the best interventions at the Castle since 1989.
Architect: Josef Pleskot
Chodovec Archive Complex
The Chodovec Archive Complex is the most cheerful building in Prague: three giant depositories covered with colorful ceramics welcome everyone arriving on the D1 highway. The playful exterior masks the strictly technical operation inside, turning the archive storage facility into an impossible-to-miss landmark.
Architects: Centroprojekt Zlín, Iva Knappová
The reconstruction of Langhans Palace
After being returned to the great-granddaughter of the founder of a famous local photo studio, Langhans Palace underwent a sensitive reconstruction that restored the historic building and its multi-layered courtyards. New glass extensions with copper blinds filled the space left by the former rooftop studios and gave the building a new sense of confidence.
Architects: Pavla Burešová, Lenka Dvořáková, Zdeněk Heřman, Ladislav Lábus, David Mareš
The renovation of St George's Square
Following archaeological research, St. George's Square and Vikářská Street underwent sensitive renovation: the uncovered historical layers remained visible and were complemented by new granite paving. The unifying slabs connect to Plečnik's Third Courtyard and complement the original Baroque fountain and street furniture.
Architects: Petr Hájek, Jan Šépka, Tomáš Hradečný
The path beneath the Royal Garden
The path beneath the Royal Garden discreetly opens up its southern edge and offers new views of Prague Castle and the city. It is accessible from the Royal Summer Palace and its surface is made of reddish Barchovice gneiss—the same stone used by Pavel Janák at the Castle.
Architects: Jaroslav Zima, Tomáš Prouza
Hotel Josef
Hotel Josef marked Eva Jiřičná's return from exile and the unpretentious entry of contemporary architecture into historic Prague. The delicate facade with metal awnings and bright interiors showed that a modern building can refine a historic street rather than overwhelm it.
Architects: Eva Jiřičná, Petr Vágner
Floods in the Czech Republic
The floods in summer 2002 rank among the worst natural disasters in modern Czech history. They hit Prague hardest, flooding entire neighborhoods, the metro, monuments, and part of the zoo. Around 800 municipalities were affected, with damages reaching 73 billion crowns.
Demolitions in Karlín
The floods of 2002 hit Karlín extraordinarily hard and accelerated the fundamental transformation of the neighborhood. The cleanup was followed by demolitions, the justification of which remains disputed to this day. It was then that the new Karlín began to emerge—development projects started entering the originally working-class neighborhood and gentrification took off.
Václav Klaus elected president
Václav Klaus took office as president during a period of stabilization of post-revolution transformation. During his era, significant investment was made in monument reconstruction at Prague Castle, though he was reserved toward modern architecture (for example, he later opposed Jan Kaplický's proposal for the National Library).
Book publication: Czech Architecture and Its Austerity
The publication of the book Czech Architecture and Its Austerity brought the first systematic reflection on post-revolutionary architecture. Historian Rostislav Švácha identified the phenomenon of "Czech austerity" and offered a framework still referenced by debates about 1990s architecture to this day.
Czech Republic joins the European Union
The Czech Republic's entry into the European Union in 2004 completed more than a decade-long process of political and economic transformation. The country became part of the single market and European institutions. In the field of architecture, EU entry opened labor markets and provided access to European funding and study programs.