Congress Center in Prague: Hosted Obama and Schwarzenegger, preparing for the EU summit
Expensive but high-quality elements were added to the giant project – marble, granite, anodized aluminum and glass. Therefore, the interior of the center has retained its distinctive character. “Ninety percent of what you see inside is original.” Adéla Müllerová, the center’s marketing manager, tells Blesk. The whole building is hiding on 200 works of art. A total of four percent of the total construction budget had to be invested in the purchase of Czech art at the time.
Employees often don’t even know what gems are hanging in their offices. Some works, such as tapestries, adorn public spaces. “It sets us apart from other modern world centers. The genius loci persists. “ adds Müller. The masterpiece is a model of the sun by Vladimír Procházka inside one of the spiral steel stairs. It looks like a coronavirus. Adéla jokes that this is the first ever 3D model of a virus in the world.
Schwarzenegger, Obama and Havel
The first-floor lounge was nicknamed the famous American actor Arnold Schwarzenneger, who read the Mobile Strike commercial here. The center is popular with filmmakers. Perhaps everyone will remember the legendary Czechoslovak series The Embarrassment of Chef Svatopluk. Scenes from the kitchen were filmed in the heart of the building. Especially common are the shots of the airport hall, which some parts of the center faithfully resemble.
“Schwarzenneger’s room”
Author: Blesk.cz: Martin Přibyl
Upstairs is the Obama Room. They sat together in the room President Václav Havel and President Barrack Obama. They sat at a round table, said not to argue over which of them was more important. The original antelope-covered chairs are placed around it. There are three entrances around the perimeter, one main and two smaller ones on the other side of the room. At the same time, the presidents entered the rooms.
Spooky castle
From the fourth floor of the congress center, one has Prague in the palm of one’s hand. And when he looks into the distance, he sees Mount Říp. But if he stays in the house long enough, the visitor may feel like in a haunted castle.
There are various crackles, creaks and howls. This is due to the materials used, which function physically due to outdoor temperatures. “When the center was a ghost building because of the covid, I enjoyed looking at Vyšehrad and listening to the building in the winter, when it was soon dark.” says Müller.
A scared cleaning lady to death
On one of the top floors, nicknamed the Startrek Room. It got its name because of its special design, reminiscent of the interior of the USS Enterprise from the sci-fi series of the same name. One day the room was rented by filmmakers. They faithfully turned the interior into a crematorium, there were also typical inscriptions such as “we will miss you” and “we will not forget you”. It is said that a cleaning lady came in on one of her errands. She widened her eyes, startled, and began to run. She thought the dead were waiting to be burned.
The pride of the center
The largest places in the Prague Congress Center are clearly occupied by the Congress Hall. It has a capacity of 2,764 seats. Congresses, concerts, theater or film performances and music and drama programs such as the 2012 Sting Concert, the musical West Side story in 2017 or the famous Swan Lake ballet performed by the Royal Moscow Ballet are held here. The big golden sun shines on the curtain. This is unique in the world. It was made in Liberec. The golden sun was etched into the nonwoven quilted fabric. It is the largest work of art of its kind in the world.
The beauties of the Prague Congress Center
Author: Blesk.cz: Martin Přibyl
The ceiling of the hall can be moved, it can be moved to the level of the upper seats. By reducing the resulting space, the acoustics are adapted to. Each seat has its own air conditioning. “It doesn’t happen to you that you sit, it blows on your neck from one central place, and after the performance you can go straight to the doctor with a blocked cervical spine.” praises Adéla Müllerová. The hall reaches a height of about 20 meters. It fits into the pandemic era. Many air conditioning filters get rid of 99.9 percent of all viruses and bacteria.
European summit
During this year’s Czech Presidency of the European Union, the KCP will host fourteen informal ministerial summits – the Council of the EU – from July to October. You will pay 25 million crowns for renting the space. This is about 12% of the planned turnover for short-term lease of KCP space for 2022.
The main meeting hall will be the Social Hall of the Prague Congress Center. The results of the tender for accommodation have not yet been announced. The state security authorities will ensure a smooth process. The operation of the KCP will be limited to the necessary extent in accordance with the requirements of the Police of the Czech Republic.
The Prague Congress Center (originally the Palace of Culture, called PaKul, or Lidojem) is a large neo-functionalist building in Prague 4, 5 May 1640/65, near the C metro station, Vyšehrad. In 2017, it became the eighth most popular conference destination in the world according to the International Congress and Convention Association. The period video from 1985 recalls its first years. • VIDEO Prague Congress Center (KCP)
The beauties of the Prague Congress Center
Author: Blesk.cz: Martin Přibyl