Topič House
A publisher who backed the new art put it on his own front wall.
At a glance
Topič House stands on Národní třída in Prague’s Old Town, next door to its sister building the U Topičů house. It grew out of the publishing house of František Topič, founded in the 1880s, whose art salon became the longest-running private gallery in Prague. Its celebrated gilded Art Nouveau facade was designed by Osvald Polívka in the years around 1906–1908, turning a working publisher’s premises into one of the most elegant fronts on the street.
Key facts
- Facade architect: Osvald Polívka
- Art Nouveau facade: around 1906–1908
- Original building: 1894 publishing house (architect Jan Zeyer)
- Founder: the publisher František Topič
- Address: Národní třída 9, Old Town, Prague
- Known for: the long-running Topič Salon gallery
- Style: Art Nouveau (Secese)
History
František Topič inherited a publishing business in the 1880s and broadened it from books into art and music, championing the new currents of Symbolism and Art Nouveau. His salon, founded in 1894, became the longest-running private gallery in the city, operating with interruptions for more than half a century.
The original building on what was then Ferdinand Avenue went up in 1894 to a design by the architect Jan Zeyer, a long two-tract structure with a glazed iron roof and a then-plain front. In the following decade the publisher turned to Osvald Polívka — the architect of the U Nováků building and a collaborator on the Municipal House — to give the premises the Art Nouveau facade for which it is now known.
The Topič Salon continued to show art into the twentieth century and was revived after 1989, keeping the building’s identity as a place of exhibitions and publishing alive.
What you see
Polívka’s facade is the attraction: a slender, vertical front worked with gilded ornament, sinuous lines, and figural detail that catches the light on Národní třída. It was designed to advertise a house of art and books, and it still reads as a shop window for culture.
Seen beside Polívka’s nearby work, Topič House shows the architect handling a narrow city plot with the same decorative confidence he brought to larger commissions, fitting a complete Art Nouveau statement into a tight street frontage.
Practical information
- The building hosts exhibitions; gallery access depends on the current programme.
- The facade is on Národní třída and visible at any time.
- Combine with a walk to the National Theatre at the end of the street.
- Time needed: 10–20 minutes.
Getting there
Topič House is on Národní třída in central Prague, close to the Národní třída metro station and on the tram lines running toward the National Theatre and the river.
Nearby
- The National Theatre and the Vltava embankment.
- U Nováků and Wenceslas Square.
- The Old Town and the Municipal House.
Sources
- Wikipedia (CS), “Topičův dům”.
- National Heritage Institute of the Czech Republic (monument catalogue).
- Topič Salon institutional history.
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