Building of National Technical Museum
The building of the National Technical Museum at Letna is
one of the most successful examples of a modern museum
building in the Czech Republic. The decision on its
construction was made in 1921 and the dream came nearer to
reality after less than thirteen years. A special building
fund was created and in February 1935 the Board of Ministers
granted its approval with the construction of a common
building of the Agriculture and Technical Museums. In March
1935, a public architectonic competition for layout sketches
of the common building of both museums was drawn up and in
June 1935 a narrower competition was drawn up for the
authors of five awarded designs - F.Fencl, M.Babuska,
F.Sramek, R.Vichra a F.Tesar. The winner of this narrower
competition was prof. dr. arch. Milan
Babuska.
On the basis of later requirements of the Prague
municipality and an agreement of both museums, the common
building was divided into two independent parts separated by
a newly created Museum street. The participation of prof.
BabuĻka in designing both buildings was a guarantee of their
uniform expression even in details. The construction of the
Technical Museum was commenced in the autumn 1938 and its
shell construction was completed in the late 1941. However,
as early as in the form of a shell construction the building
was rendered up by force to the protectoral Ministry of Post
that made in it modifications according to its - non-museum
- needs. The building was designed in the style of later
functionalism in a strongly classic-like conception where
a particular contribution comes from the symmetry of its
parts as well as the whole, axial composition of main
entries with emphasized vertical prism pillars, application
of the most classical material - stone - for facing the
pedestal and the external staircases, and suppression of
horizontality of days. The symmetrical four-storey body of
the Technical Museum, a structural triple-aisle of the wide
U shape with two basements, the load-bearing structure of
which is formed by a monolithic ferro-concrete frame,
encircles a uniquely designed exhibition space where the
permanent exhibition of transport is now situated. Its
galleries, staircases and construction details are designed
with the original ship-like aesthetics of functionalism. Up
to now, the building exterior looks well preserved thanks to
quality of material used. Even though the interiors were
since the beginning insensitively modified by imposed
occupants, the character has been preserved till now in the
main staircase and the entrance hall on the ground floor
where, according to the Deutsches Museum in Munich,
a pantheon of Czech scientists, inventors and engineers was
contemplated. After the War, a part of collections and
professional departments moved to the new building. After
the World War II, several designs of the Museum extension on
the non-built-up eastern part of the Museum plot were
elaborated, however, they have never more been organized in
the form of a public competition. The last forty years was
the period filled with a permanent struggle against imposed
renters. The situation has only improved during the recent
four years when vacated rooms are gradually occupied not
only by respective departments but mainly by new exhibition
areas and, most recently, by the Media library. The
artistic, architectonic and city-planning qualities of the
building are recognized by its including into the official
list of cultural monuments.
Petr Krajci , iso@ntm.anet.cz