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From the New Europe: How do you like the new library design?
Perhaps never before has the Czech Republic been so divided over a piece of architecture. The winning proposal for a new National Library in Prague, which is supposed to be built in Letna, in the Prague 7 district, not far from the Castle, is a source of major controversy in the country. The purple-and-yellow building proposal (see photo) has been designed by Jan Kaplicky, an architect of the London architecture firm Future Systems. Yes, it is an extremely bold design, for a city known for its Gothic and Baroque architecture.
People call it all kinds of things...octopus, jellyfish, blob, phlegm are among the nicer ones. I personally like it. But I like cities that mix and match their architecture, like New York.
What about you? How do you like it?
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Europe, Czech Republic
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Marilyn Terrell Apr 30th 2008 11:44AM
I like the design too, it's fun. But it's competing for attention with beautiful historic buildings, some of which are over 500 years old (the Archbishop's Palace, the Charles Bridge, etc.). There's a place for wacky, innovative architecture in new cities like Kazakhstan's new capital of Astana, for which Sir Norman Foster has designed a futuristic entertainment center:
http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/03/26/norman-fosters-entertainment-center-in-kazakhstan/
...or in an international expo or world's fair, like the Shanghai 2010 Expo, which will feature Poland's delightful pavilion that looks like a snowflake cut out of paper:
http://intelligenttravel.typepad.com/it/2008/03/polish-pavilion.html
iva.skoch Apr 30th 2008 11:45AM
Thanks. I haven't seen these before. They look cool!
w67 Jul 15th 2008 12:48PM
Dobry den Iva ,
wow, it's awful and frightening , especially in such a beautiful town !
it could be funny elsewhere, but not in Prague .
The first time I went to Prague and CR was in 1991, and I enjoy the city and the country so much that I travel to CR twice a year since 1991 ;-)
So, kill this octopussy, please ! do it for me before it's too late