Rudolfinum Prague - Czech Philharmonic

The central space in the gallery portion of the Rudolfinum was designed by Josef Zítek and Josef Schulz as an entrance hall to the art gallery. After 1918, however, this space was converted into a parliamentary cafeteria, and after World War II it served as a gymnasium for the Prague Conservatory. At the end of the 1980s, Ceremony Hall was threatened with reconstruction – but plans to tear down the main staircase to make room for another concert hall did not go through, and the hall retained its original appearance. Of particular interest in Ceremony Hall are 25 empty spaces on its walls, which were originally intended to be filled in with frescos. The majority of the eminent Czech painters, however, boycotted the 1891 fresco competition in protest over the large number of German artists involved in the construction of the Rudolfinum.

The Rudolfinum's location is just as interesting as the building itself. Its site on the right bank of the Vltava overlooking the Lesser Quarter (Malá Strana) and the Prague Castle belongs to Old Town (Staré Město), one of the oldest parts of Prague. During the reign of Rudolf II this spot was home to a riding ring. The site's unique character began to develop when the construction of the Rudolfinum got underway in 1876. Neighboring buildings began to crop up in the 1890s: the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design between 1881 and 1885 and the Museum of Decorative Arts between 1897 and 1900. Mánesův Bridge, which connects Old Town with Klarov, was built between 1911 and 1914 and the Faculty of Arts of Charles University was constructed between 1924 and 1930. All of the above-mentioned buildings comprise today's Jan Palach Square and are home to cultural and educational institutions.

The Czech Philharmonic took the stage in this world-famous concert hall in 1896, performing for its first-ever concert under the baton of Antonín Dvořák himself. The hall remained a space for concerts and performances until 1918, at which time it became a boardroom for the new parliament of the Czechoslovak Republic. The stage and the organ loft became a tribunal (garnished with a statue of President T.G. Masaryk), from which parliamentary leaders presided over proceedings. The hall's original character (and purpose) was restored
in 1940–1942 according to a project conceived by Antonín Engel and Bohumír Kozák, and it has remained in this form through to the present. In accordance with Josef Zítek and Josef Schulz's original proposal, the central visual element in the hall is an organ, which was made in Frankfurt, Germany. During the hall's stint as a parliamentary meeting place, the organ was housed in Brno. When it returned to the Rudolfinum in 1940, its register was extended. Dvořák Hall's final update took place in 1992 when the entire Rudolfinum building underwent reconstruction.

The founding of the independent Czechoslovak Republic in October 1918 began another chapter in the Rudolfinum's interesting history. The new government sought a new meeting space for its House of Commons, and it was essential to find a sufficiently large venue, which at the same time would have a prestigious, ceremonial character and a convenient location. In April 1919, it was decided that the Rudolfinum would become the seat of the parliament, which created a necessity for several architectural changes in the building's interior spaces. The adjustements were dictated by two different proposals: that of architect Václav Roštlapil (1919–1921) and that of architect Rudolf Kříženecký (1923-1931). The concert hall was transformed into a governmental chamber, which required the removal of the organ. The building's gallery, salons, foyer, and vestibule also underwent reconstructions both large and small. Offices, a cafeteria, and a social space for the parliamentary members were constructed in the northern building. The Rudolfinum remained a political building until the end of the First Republic in March 1939. During World War II the building was once again renovated and restored to its original function as a space for music and art.

The Rudolfinum's newest concert hall was realized between 1940 and 1942 according to the design of architects Antonín Engel and Bohumír Kozák. It was intended to serve as a smaller space for concerts that could be used while the adjacent Dvořák Hall was under construction. Its interior decoration is inspired by Zítek and Schulz's “original style”, the reason why it aesthetically agrees with the rest of the building.

By the second half of the 19th century, it was clear that Prague lacked spaces of a good enough quality and of a sufficient size to both house a symphony orchestra and serve as a site for a gallery. From this deficiency arose the intent to construct a building which could at once fulfill both these needs while also illustrating the economic and cultural development of the Czech nation. The necessity for dual functionality meant that the work of architects Josef Zítek and Josef Schulz would not be easy, but they managed to combine the needs presented by both art forms and their artistic presentation, creating a multipurpose cultural building unrivaled by any other in Europe at the time.

The present-day Rudolfinum Gallery opened in 1994 in the space originally designed for the Society of Patriotic Friends of Art, which moved in the Rudolfinum on February 7, 1885. After 1918, the space was converted into administrative offices for the parliament of the Czechoslovak Republic. The grandiose architectural conception of the exhibition halls, which
– thanks to their glass ceilings – are illuminated by daylight, was restored and supplemneted in 1989 with additional forms of artificial lighting as well as with the possibility to darken the space.