The Four Seasons Hotel Prague embodies the Czech architectural timeline through its historical buildings.
Everything in Prague is aesthetically pleasing, starting from music, to art and especially the architecture. The buildings and homes in the capital and largest city of Czech Republic are all influenced by gothic, renaissance and baroque architectural periods, and the city also has plenty of popular cultural attractions for tourists to marvel at such as Prague Castle, Charles Bridge and Vltava River.
Located in the city’s Old Town and very close to the river with views of the bridge and castle is the Four Seasons Hotel Prague. It occupies four buildings, each representing the city’s architecture. The hotel’s oldest building is the baroque house built in 1568 and is located along the bank of Vltava River. The house still retains its original cross-vaulting, stone architraves and masonry vaults. Guests staying in this part of the hotel also get to see the restored sandstone statue of St. John of Nepomuk.
The second building is a neo-classical house that dates back to 1827 and was initially used as a factory designed by J. Ripota. The place had been converted to apartments and an office space before it became Four Seasons Hotel Prague. Today only the northern and western facades remain in the walls’ original cornices and flat plaster details. All the original windows and fixtures were either restored or replaced with original-style replicas.
The third building is a neo-renaissance house that was commissioned in 1883 by a fish merchant as an apartment with on-site shops. The original facade of this place was restored and it features domes topped by a double-sloping roof.
The last and the latest building is the main building that was established in 2001. It represents modern architecture, featuring earth toned sandstone from the Czech quarry and pale plaster facades with dark roofing that greatly compliments the other three historic buildings.
Establishing a hotel inside three historic buildings wasn’t an easy thing to do. For this project the hotel entrusted Czech-based architecture firm Dům a Město to work on maintaining the original features of the buildings while connecting them together as a unifying establishment.
“The great challenge was to preserve the individuality of each building, creating harmony in the overall design, and reflecting the character of the surrounding Old Town, a city neighbourhood known for the grandeur and elegance of its architecture,” said architect Petr Brzobohatý of Dům a Město. The hotel’s interior was renovated by the famous French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. All 157 rooms feature traditional details that can be seen in its wall paneling, wallpapers, designer lights and bohemian chandeliers. Rochon also designed the hotel’s AVA Spa where he presented a classic European style that incorporates design elements from the Hotel’s historical buildings.
Aside from the marvelous architecture and interior design, the hotel also boasts an array of local art collections such as lithographs of Prague, Czech modernist paintings, sculptures by local artists and glass pieces that have become the country’s trademark. Among all of the art pieces on display, one of the most interesting and unique artworks that always attract visitors’ attention is a 40-centimetre broken vase sculpture located in the lobby. Its red colour and broken parts are meant to depict the fall of communism in Eastern Europe in the late 20th century. The vase can be listed as a special art piece because it was made by renowned Czech artist Borek Sipek, who was known as the father of neo-baroque style.