4/5 Mario F. 5 years ago on Google
Even
by
21st-century
standards,
Jan
Kotera’s
creations
still
look
fresh
and
unconventional,
maybe
avant-garde
as
well.
Prazsky
most,
a
century-old
stone-and-steel
bridge
across
the
River
Labe
in
Hradec
Kralove
bears
witness
to
Kotera’s
ability
to
get
out
of
the
norm
and
create
innovative
designs
and
out-of-the-ordinary
constructions.
A
walk
along
the
verdant
east
bank
of
the
Labe
where
most
of
the
buildings
are
Kotera’s
creations
is
enough
to
confirm
his
taste
for
functionalism
rather
than
heavy
or
elaborate
ornamentation.
One
building
that
definitely
gives
credit
for
Kotera’s
originality
in
design
and
use
of
materials
is
the
Muzeum
Vychodnich
Cech,
a
grand
building
that
in
spite
of
its
age
still
seems
splendidly
modern
and
utterly
unconventional.
Plastered
concrete
and
red
bricks,
aptly
combined
to
create
lines
of
contrast
were
used
to
devise
a
facade
that
is
not
only
original
and
innovative
but
functional
and
inspirational
as
well.
The
entrance
is
guarded
by
a
giant
pair
of
colourful
doorkeepers,
their
legendary
Sphinx-like
faces
obscure
and
mysterious.
The
huge
dome
crowning
the
roof,
so
typical
of
Kotera’s
style
of
architecture
transmits
an
air
of
grandeur
to
the
structure.
Kotera
also
designed
the
building’s
interior.
Unlike
most
other
museums
where
an
existing
building
is
utilized
as
an
exhibition
centre,
the
Vychodnich
Cech
was
intentionally
built
to
house
a
museum
of
artifacts
and
natural
sciences.
So,
the
assistance
of
local
painters
(Jan
Preisler,
Josef
Novak
and
Frantisek
Kysela)
and
sculptors
(Vojtech
Suchard
and
others)
was
deemed
crucial
in
the
finishing
stages.
The
museum’s
best
exhibits
consist
of
a
19th-century
assortment
of
local
paintings
and
sculptures,
a
set
of
historical
posters
with
a
political
innuendo
dating
back
to
the
interwar
years
and
three
interactive
models
of
Hradec
Kralove
that
display
the
historical
and
architectural
aspects
of
the
city
in
the
Middle
Ages.
Indeed,
most
exhibits
are
interesting
enough
to
provide
an
insight
into
the
country’s
recent
history
and
art
scene
but...
alas,
no
descriptions
in
English
accompany
the
exhibits.
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