U Nováků Building
A tailor’s shop that grew into a palace — with an arcade, a cabaret, and a theatre of its own.
At a glance
The U Nováků building stands at Vodičkova 34 in Prague’s New Town, near Wenceslas Square. Built between 1901 and 1904 to designs by the celebrated architect Osvald Polívka, it was one of the first department stores in the Czech lands and a true multi-purpose palace: shops and an arcade, offices, sports and games rooms, a cabaret hall, and the U Nováků theatre. It is best known for the broad Art Nouveau mosaic across its facade. The building has been a a protected cultural monument.
Key facts
- Architect: Osvald Polívka
- Built: 1901–1904
- Owner: Josef Novák, textile and tailoring entrepreneur
- Address: Vodičkova 34, New Town, Prague
- Contains: arcade, shops, offices, cabaret hall, the U Nováků theatre
- Facade: large Art Nouveau mosaic
- Status: protected cultural monument
History
The site had belonged to a butcher named Vodička, who gave the street its name. In 1878 the brothers Antonín and Josef Novák, from Česká Třebová, bought the property — a former brewery known as U Štajgrů — and a small shop in threads and toys. They turned it into a textile business, and after Antonín’s death Josef expanded it into tailoring and fashion.
To house the growing enterprise, Josef Novák commissioned Osvald Polívka, one of the leading architects of Prague Art Nouveau, and the building rose between 1901 and 1904. It was conceived from the start as a multi-functional commercial palace, an early Czech department store with entertainment and offices built in.
Novák died in 1906, two years after completion, but his name stayed on the building; it was restored to the facade after the 1989 Velvet Revolution. The U Nováků theatre remains a working stage today.
What you see
The signature is the long mosaic that spreads across the upper facade, an allegory of trade and industry that turns a commercial front into a public picture. Below it, the building keeps the rhythm of large glazed openings that a modern store demanded.
Inside, the arcade and the theatre carry the Art Nouveau detailing through into the interior, so the building works as a sequence of decorated spaces rather than a single grand room. It is one of Prague’s clearest demonstrations that the new style could serve commerce as readily as it served churches and villas.
Practical information
- The arcade and theatre are accessible; opening depends on the theatre’s programme.
- The mosaic facade can be seen from Vodičkova at any time.
- Walk through the arcade to reach the inner spaces.
- Time needed: 20–30 minutes.
Getting there
The building is on Vodičkova, a short walk from Wenceslas Square and the Můstek metro station, on several central tram routes.
Nearby
- Peterka House and Wenceslas Square.
- Topič House on Národní třída.
- The Municipal House and the Mucha Museum.
Sources
- Wikipedia (CS), “Dům U Nováků”.
- National Heritage Institute of the Czech Republic (cultural monument record).
- Prague City Tourism heritage information.
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