During Open House Prague 2023, we opened a free LEGO workroom for children in collaboration with our partner Czech RepuBRICK at the New Stage of the National Theater, where the festival information center was also located. Older children built constructions of various shapes out of white LEGO bricks according to their imagination and younger children could play with DUPLO bricks. More than 300 children and their parents visited the workroom during the weekend.
In several buildings, children could also attend special tours with Worksheets for Little Architects, which introduced them to the history and architecture of the buildings in an interactive way. In total, 9 guided tours for children were held and more than 180 children attended them. The capacity of the groups was fully booked this year, so we would like to further develop our programs for children in the future, not only as part of the festival but also as part of our year-round work.
In collaboration with the New Stage of the National Theater, the festival week also included guided tours of the building for children, followed by a workshop during which children could learn not only about the architecture designed by Karel Prager but also about the theater facilities: costume room, sound booth, stage trap, and many other technologies. This year, the New Stage of the National Theater celebrated 40 years since its opening, and together we created a very eventful accompanying program. There was also a tour for children at Podkovářská Premises, including a visit to the basketball court on the roof. Children could also visit the Church of St. Anne (or Prague Crossroads), where they learned not only about the history and current use of the church, which was sponsored by former President Václav Havel, but also about the reconstruction, which was led by Eva Jiřičná, patroness of the Open House Prague festival.
At Petschek Palace, children saw bank vaults and still functional elevators – the so-called paternosters – and learned about the history of the building, which was used by the Gestapo during World War II. The program for children also included the National Library of Technology in Dejvice, an award-winning glass-encased building. Here the tour took children for example to the meeting room of the library director. Children also visited the multifunctional department store Quadrio and the picturesque Trmal Villa by Jan Kotěra, whose work is characterized by the use of colorful folk motifs. Finally, there was also a tour for children at T. J. Sokol Pražský Gymnasium, where they visited halls named after Miroslav Tyrš and Jindřich Fügner, founders of the Sokol, and learned details about the history of the Sokol.
There was a creative workshop at the former Gráf Hotel, now I. P. Pavlova 5, an interactive workshop with children from the Light Dance Studio at the former Libeň Brewery (now Studio ALTA), a transportation-themed playground in front of the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, and a play zone with fun activities titled MEGA BLOKS at Bořislavka Center for the whole weekend. Older children and their parents could rent track bikes and helmets at the Třebešín Velodrome and take a ride for free.
