Prague’s Ugliest Buildings Get a Second Look

A new tour revisits the importance of some not-so-lovely landmarks

Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas

Written by Elizabeth Zahradnicek-Haas Published on 18.09.2015 09:57:18 (updated on 18.09.2015) Reading time: 1 minute

Prague’s Nová scéna theater, built by architect Karel Prager from 1977-1983, has long been considered an eyesore by locals (although international disdain for the National Theatre’s New Stage seemingly can’t match that of the Žižkov TV Tower which regularly cracks the top 5 on “ugliest buildings in the world” lists).

Now Nová scéna and a number of other controversial Prague landmarks, many of them built during the era of Czech Normalization, are being celebrated with an autumn tour series organized by a newly opened Prague art and design school.

In an effort to prove the architectural value of these less-than-lovely landmarks, Scholastika tours are free and open to the public and will be led by popular public figures and experts in the field.

The inaugural September 23rd event, a walk through Nová scéna which includes a projection show by rapper Vladimír 518, is already at full capacity. Hlavní nádraží with architect Adam Gebrian is the next outing planned; dates will be announced by Scholastika in the coming weeks. 

What do you think is the ugliest building in Prague?

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