The nonprofit Open House Praha, z. ú., has entered a new phase of its existence. In September 2026, founder and director Andrea Šenkyříková passed on the organization’s leadership to Jan Makalouš.
Andrea Šenkyříková was at the birth of Open House Prague and over the course of her more than 12-year-long involvement, she has built a respected organization that brings the public closer to the city’s architecture and stories through the Open House Prague festival and other educational and cultural activities.
“Open House Prague has always been mainly about people, openness, and the opportunity to discover the city from a new perspective. Over the last 12 years, we’ve been learning not only how to make architecture accessible but also how to be mutually understanding,” says Andrea Šenkyříková and adds: “If somebody asks me what I think is the biggest success, I won’t say any number of buildings or visitors, I’ll just say one word: community. I’m proud of how far the organization has come, and I’m pleased to entrust its future development into the hands of Jan Makalouš.”
New director Jan Makalouš aims to follow in the team’s work so far while simultaneously focusing on the further development of the organization, its program, and long-term stability.
“I want to keep developing the basic concept of the festival, which is about being open to everybody. What I find equally important is the atmosphere and community that has grown around the festival over the years, especially our volunteers. Their enthusiasm and passion is incredible,” says Jan Makalouš.
His main goal is to extend the festival program and the number of buildings that visitors can explore. As of now, Open House Prague opens roughly 110 buildings over the weekend for free and offers dozens of accompanying programs on the weekdays.
“My goal is to add more open spaces every year so that Prague eventually becomes completely open. I also want to add a new feature every year that will enrich the festival. Last but not least, I would like to extend the accompanying program with the involvement of the greater public. All of this relates to our personal and financial resources, of course. My job is to strengthen the team, cultivate partnerships, and look for new sources of funding that will allow us to offer the public more buildings as well as a quality visitor experience,” says the new director.
Another priority is the cultivation of the Architecture Lovers member club, which, according to Makalouš, aims to connect people with an interest in architecture and events in the city across Prague districts and different groups of citizens.
“I would like for people to understand that their support helps not only Open House Prague as a brand but also specific activities – for example, it enables us to open more buildings or make more places accessible to people with hearing or visual disabilities.”
After handing over her role as the director, Andrea Šenkyříková remains actively involved in Open House Prague. She will continue to work on the festival program with respect to the established dramaturgy, scout and reach out to new buildings, and personally deal with their owners and managers. “Together with the new director, we would like to cultivate the festival’s accompanying program in collaboration with experts and other partners,” says Andrea Šenkyříková.
Open House Prague also invites owners and managers of interesting Prague buildings to take part in the 13th edition of the festival, which is scheduled for May 17–23, 2027. Applications are open until the end of November 2026.
More details can be found here.
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