About the Organization
We founded Open House Praha, z. ú., a non-profit organization, in 2014 because we were excited about the idea of opening buildings that are usually inaccessible. We are a group of enthusiasts who love their city, and we want to make other people interested in the place where they live, too. We think that the quality of our life depends, among other things, on the quality of the architecture and the public space around us. We open the city for everyone, and we want people to explore the city’s architecture and public space in a wider urbanistic, historical, and cultural context. Architecture is a part of our everyday life, and thanks to Open House Prague, you can explore it in an unconventional way!
What do we do?
- We organize a weekend-long festival with tens of open, usually inaccessible buildings and other events for the public throughout the year.
- We liven up and open the city.
- We make it possible for the general public to have a direct experience with architecture, design, and art, and we popularize architecture in all its forms.
- We provide educational materials for children and we organize workshops for them.
- We foster a volunteering culture to an extent that has no parallel in the Czech environment.
- We offer hundreds of volunteers to spend their festival weekend actively and meaningfully.
- We develop and take care of the volunteer community even throughout the entire year.
- We connect people from different generations, educational backgrounds, and professions in our volunteer program.
- We involve elderly citizens and citizens who are disadvantaged in terms of their health in an active participation in the organization of the festival.
- We prepare special tours for hearing impaired and visually impaired people.
- We contribute to change by educating the lay public, which can then become an informed client or an equal partner of architects and urban planners.
- We support an active participation of the public in the public space.
- We connect architects and specialists with the general public.
“When Victoria Thornton came up with the idea of Open House around 30 years ago, at first I thought that the project had no future. Despite that, I ended up getting involved myself and putting some energy into it. Although the beginning was difficult, Open House London has become one of the most important cultural events. The way I see it now is that Open House is a contribution to every city and every country it takes place in. But in my own country I’m obviously going to promote it stronger than anywhere else in the world.”
Eva Jiřičná
architect of Czech origin who works and lives in London,
long-time member of the administration board of Open City, patroness of Open House Prague
“I’m incredibly happy that I could become a part of the Open House family. I remember the day that Andrea Šenkyříková, the founder of the Prague festival, came up with this idea. I thought it was absolutely amazing but also very courageous. Convincing institutions and the private sector to let pretty much anyone into their ‘living room’? It almost seemed as utopia to me… A decade later, I deeply admire not only Andrea and the entire team she has built but also the hundreds of volunteers whose involvement is essential for the success of the festival.”
Lejla Abbasová
Open House Prague ambassador
“Open House Prague is the first Czech festival of its kind that has opened itself to people with visual disabilities while fully respecting their needs and putting emphasis on their safety, independence, and full experience. Accessibility is about determination, not about financially demanding solutions or rebuilding. Andrea Šenkyříková, founder of the festival, has simply decided to make Open House Prague available for everybody, and she is working towards her goal. That is why people with hearing and visual disabilities can explore the beauties of Prague’s architecture. I am glad that Světluška could be a part of that.”
Gabriela Drastichová
former director of Světluška – Czech Radio Foundation
“Exploring new buildings always brings a sense of excitement, even a sense of discovery. That isn’t the most important thing about Open House, though: discovering houses that have only been an anonymous spot on the map from the inside enables us to deepen our relationship with the city and become more connected to the place where we live.”
Petr Hlaváček and Magdalena Hlaváčková
Headhand Architects
