Kotva department store

The Kotva department store was built between 1970 and 1975, according to the design of the Czech architects Věra Machoninová and Vladimír Machonin. The project fully complied with the requirements for sales area on small parcels (about 60 x 100 m in size), while not disturbing the level of historic buildings. Thanks to the ground plan of the self -supporting geometric modules, it was possible to fill a complex plot and divide the mass at the same time. In contrast to the abstract geometry of the mass of the centre, there are three organically shaped concrete staircases (escape) towers out of it. The ground plan is formed by many hexagons that have been interlocked. The floor plan has five above-ground floors and two under ground floors, which serve as a garage and a supermarket. After the ceremonial opening, it was supposed to become a symbol of the abundance and riches of socialism and was the largest department store in Czechoslovakia at that time. It is one of the last exceptional realizations of Czech architecture from the late 1960s.