• Address:

    Maltézské náměstí 1/471, 118 00 Prague, Czech Republic

  • Client:

    EURO PROPERTY FUND spol. s.r.o. / STRABAG a.s.

  • Description of the work:

    Restoration of the wooden railing of the gallery on the ground level of the Riding Hall

    Restoration of the entrance gate of the barracks building

    Restoration of the wooden roof of the Riding Hall

    Restoration survey of the colour scheme of the façade

    Survey of the openings for windows in the attic of the building

  • Realization:

    2007

Between 2005 and 2007, GEMA ART participated in the transformation of the historic barracks into the “Palladium” - the largest one-stop shopping destination in downtown Prague. Since the former barracks is listed as a Cultural Monument of the Czech Republic, the work was carried out under the supervision of the monument protection.

The moving history of the site was uncovered by an archaeological survey of the site carried out prior to the start of the project. Evidence of Romanesque settlement dating back to the 12th century was uncovered at this site. Subsequently, St. James’ Hospital and a smaller church dedicated to the Virgin Mary were founded here, but it was destroyed during the Hussite wars and gradually disappeared. The intensive development of crafts and trade on this site is documented from the end of the 15th century. The site took its present form in the 17th century, when a Capuchin monastery with the Baroque church of St. Joseph was founded on the today’s Palladium location. The monastery was dissolved at the end of the 18th century and its premises subsequently served as a military barracks until 1992.

The technically demanding work included, in particular, the preservation of the unique wooden roof truss from the mid-19th century. It is a type of wooden structure called de l’Orme, i.e. an arched structure without tie beams. The truss is made up of a total of 13 arched frames. The overall condition of the structure was assessed during a structural engineering survey carried out in June 2002. The actual salvage of the wooden truss was carried out in 2006. In addition to the restoration work on the wooden truss, GEMA ART was involved in the restoration of the wooden railings on the ground floor of the riding hall dating from the 19th century and the restoration of the entrance gate of the barracks building.