Brutalist and Modernist Architectures Collide at Sunshine Plaza

Take a tour of the surprising merge of a modern and soviet era design on a Prague's public square with this photo album.
Sunshine Plaza from a hill top
Sunshine Plaza from a little hill top.

Sunshine Plaza (Slunecni namesti) in Prague was revitalized extensively since 2000 from a formerly large panel system-building (LPS) residential area. LPS, sometimes also called Plattenbau, is a housing constructed of prefabricated concrete slabs. Prefabrication allowed for lower-cost public housing, but residents resented it for its poor aesthetics.

After the collapse, this monotone but technology-loving design common in Eastern Bloc was gradually submerged into freer modern architecture. Inhabitants painted more upbeat colors on the dull facades lifting the gloom of the plain concrete. Advertisement posts of a variety of local enterprises went up.

The dominating spirit of achieving more with less using technology so far stayed in this europolis. You will see that for yourself during the tour around a magnetic resonance clinic south of the communal church center, a palm tree living inside of tiny glass bio-dome, telecommunication towers grabbing the rooftops like landed space ships, sub-way tube skylining over a pond, and a weird robotic art piece next to a automated wine bar.

Enjoy the journey documenting the current state of the synthesis of the stark with the liberated.

Slunecni namesti in Prague
Little Hill (Hůrka) subway station in front of new Sunshine Town Hall.
A palm tree lives inside a glass bio-dome at Lužiny station.
A palm tree lives inside a glass bio-dome at Lužiny station.
A space ship just landed on a brutalist rooftop?
A space ship just landed on a brutalist rooftop?
A polyclinic next to the shiny town hall.
A polyclinic next to the shiny town hall.
Sunshine Plaza (Slunecni namesti) has a church and a magnetic resonance clinic.
Sunshine Plaza (Slunecni namesti) has a church and a magnetic resonance clinic.
The little prince fountain
The little prince fountain
A satelite image of the sun-shaped garden at Slunecni namesti
A satelite image of the sun-shaped garden at Slunecni namesti
Modern communal church construction would be prohibited during the communism.
Modern communal church construction would be prohibited during the communism.
A subway ventilation reminiscent of an ocean liner's exhaust.
A subway ventilation reminiscent of an ocean liner's exhaust.
A weird robotic art piece next to a automated wine bar.
A weird robotic art piece next to a automated wine bar
The church next to a plattenbau building.
The church next to a plattenbau building.
A soviet era mosaic next to 'Donate your plazma for 3500 crowns' advertisement.
A soviet era mosaic next to 'Donate your plazma for 3500 crowns' advertisement.
Colourful graffiti on a wooden gazebo.
Colourful graffiti on a wooden gazebo.
Plattenbau buildings painted with pastel colours.
Plattenbau buildings painted with pastel colours.
A subway tube skylining over a pond.
A subway tube skylining over a pond.
A Sunshine Plaza view from Central Park.
A Sunshine Plaza view from Central Park.
The subway tube connects to the next station Lužiny.
The subway tube connects to the next station Lužiny.
Can you tell the time from a solar clock on a facade of a plattenbau building?
Can you tell the time from a solar clock on a facade of a plattenbau building?
Sometimes the symmetry is broken by multi-colour facades.
Sometimes the symmetry of totally equal blocks is broken by multi-colour facades.
Original on the left, the insulated and painted plattenbau on the right.
Original on the left, the insulated and painted plattenbau on the right.
Colourful statues next to children playground.
Colourful statues next to children playground.

Hopefully, the current generation won’t allow the resource pie to stop growing by exploring, innovating, building, and enterprising. And thus, the next gallery will be from a new colony on Mars or an O’Neill cylinder in space.

PS: Does anything here remind you game The Longest Journey Dreamfall Chapters by any chance?

If you have a VR headset, try my VR180 channel “VR Holiday in Nature”.

(Note that this place was likely an inspiration for game The Longest Journey Dreamfall Chapters).

Created on 22 Aug 2020. Updated on: 06 Jun 2022.
Thank you










About Vaclav Kosar How many days left in this quarter? Twitter Bullet Points to Copy & Paste Averaging Stopwatch Privacy Policy
Copyright © Vaclav Kosar. All rights reserved. Not investment, financial, medical, or any other advice. No guarantee of information accuracy.