House of the Black Madonna

The House of the Black Madonna (Czech: House U The Black Matky Bozi ) is a cubist building in Prague's Old Town. It is named after a small statue of a Black Madonna, which was the house mark of the baroque old building. The statue is located at the right corner of the building, at the junction between Celetná street and the fruit market ( Ovocný trh ) is.

The house was built in the years 1910 and 1911 according to plans by architect Josef Gočár as a department store and is one of the examples of how architects adapted Czech Cubism, which is actually a style of painting. Features are the dominance of the surface and the hint of a cube clear edges.

From 1993 to 1994, the house was completely renovated and reconstructed to its original state. From 1994 to 2002, housed a permanent exhibition Cubism as a style which covers all areas of life. For example, a cubist Sofa by Gocar was shown. From 2003 to 2012, the National Gallery in Prague operated the Czech Cubism Museum here. 2010, the building was declared a national cultural monument. On the first floor, the Grand Café Orient, whose original facility was re-established in 2005 is located.