Prague Landmarks #10 - Dancing House

In a city that’s full of architectural and cultural anomalies, the ‘Dancing House’ (Tančící dům) still comes as a bit of a surprise when you first encounter it. As you walk along Rašínovo nábřeží on the east bank of the Vltava, you can’t help being struck by the peculiar building that stands on the intersection with Jiráskův most, especially as it is so different from the Gothic, Baroque and Art Nouveau buildings which surround it.

Approaching Dancing House along Rašínovo nábřeží

Dancing House, originally named Fred and Ginger by the co-architect Frank Gehry, is officially the Nationale-Nederlanden building. The Dutch insurance company (now ING Bank) sponsored the project to build on the site which had been bombed in 1945 and had been derelict until it was cleared in 1960. The primary designer and architect was Vlado Milunić who worked with Gehry, and was a friend of Václav Havel, the former Czechoslovakian president, whose family owned the neighbouring site. The designs were completed in 1992 and the building completed in 1996.

Dancing House from Jiráskův most

Milunić’s two-part ‘neo-Baroque’ or ‘deconstructivist’ design concept was intended to signify the transition of Czechoslovakia from communist dictatorship to parliamentary democracy. 99 concrete panels, each of a different shape and size, fit together to provide an illusion of two dancers whirling around each other. The left tower is primarily glass and is the ‘Ginger’ partner which bends and clings to the concrete Fred tower.Although the same height as the surrounding buildings, Dancing House has two additional floors, but the use of mis-aligned windows hides this fact.The building is capped by a twisted metal framework - the dancer’s hair.

Fred's 'hair'

The rooftop terrace

The top floor of the building is a (not inexpensive) restaurant, and if you buy a drink at the bar you are able to go onto the rooftop terrace which affords some great views over the city.

Great views from the terrace

Most of the remaining space is taken up by offices but there is also a highly sought after 21 room hotel. There is also an art gallery with frequent exhibitions.

Dancing House viewed from Janáčkovo nábřeží

Despite the controversy created when the building was first constructed, Dancing House is now recognised as an integral part of the contemporary landscape of Prague. And as with so many places in the city, the more you visit it, the more interesting the building becomes. Don’t forget to visit at night as well as during the day as the illuminations add a completely different perspective to the site!

Dancing House at night