Palladium Shopping Center
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Palladium Shopping Center is a shopping mall in Prague. The underground garages in the shopping centre have 900 parking slots in three underground floors. The centre is quite different from those in Prague suburbs: It focuses mostly on rich costumers and offers luxurious goods.
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[edit] History
The Palladium Shopping Center was built on a site of the former "Jiří z Poděbrad" Barracks enclosed by the streets Na Poříčí, Truhlářská and náměstí Republiky. The Barracks had been under the army’s ownership for more than two hundred years (1780s – 1996). There were many famous Czech personalities within the army crew, for example Josef Kajetán Tyl who composed the Czech national anthem here. The complex became dilapidated in the second half of the 20th century as the facilities were not used very much. While occupied by the army, the complex was completely closed to the public. It was not until the beginning of the 90s that the Ministry of Defence decided that the site should serve a more useful purpose.
[edit] Design
[edit] Glass Columns
Between 1983 and 1985 Václav Cígler, one of the most important contemporary glass artists, created some unique glass columns and slabs for the Prague metro's Náměstí Republiky station. For many years afterwards, travellers on Metro line B were able to see the effects created when the beams of light were broken by the laminated, polished glass pillars.
In the 1990s, the metro hall became a commercial area and the glass columns were moved to the edge of the hall, where there was no light thus losing the ambiance created by these obelisks. They were damaged by graffiti and other vandalism, and faced complete destruction.
From autumn 2007, the glass columns became part of the entrance hall at the Na Poříčí entrance of the shopping center's office space.
[edit] The wooden roof of the former riding stable
The riding stable was designed by K. Pichal and built from 1857 to 1861. The most interesting feature of this building is its wooden roof, which is designed without tie-beams. This style is known as an Orme vault. The main load-bearing construction of the riding stables is formed by thirteen vaults.
Due to moisture, leaks and presence of dry rot and wood-destroying fungi resulted in the laps of the roof’s surface cohesion and expert restoration was essential. So the entire roof was dismantled and underwent complex conservation treatment, and later mantled back to its original place.
[edit] Fountain sculpture at the Riding Court
Pavel Roučka is a notable contemporary Czech artist who has created a work entitled The Riding Court. It was mounted in the entrance hall at the side of the riding school building on Na Poříčí street, and part of it was the renovated original wall that ran along the boundary of the land with the buildings that belong to the neighbouring Church of St. Joseph, and the fountain sculpture.
Roučka found his inspiration in the history of the building. He was fascinated by the structure of the old 17th-century stones, and the 19th-century horse troughs, and decided to incorporate these two elements into his work. The stone wall will gain a bas-relief featuring stylised horses' heads, while the fountain sculpture will consist of 7 marble troughs from which water will cascade out.
[edit] Department store and retail shops
The Palladium Department Store comprises 50,000 square meters. Another 40,000 square meters are devoted to retail shops selling luxury brand apparel, jewellery, electronics, musical instruments, audio equipment, sporting goods and exotic supercars, as well as a Neo book store. Some of the most renowned boutiques found in Palladium include Gucci, Chanel, Balenciaga, Valentino, Kenzo, Hermès, Giorgio Armani, Jimmy Choo, Chloè, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry and Salvatore Ferragamo.
