The Building of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin Presented in Prague for the First Time

The “Spaceship,” the iconic brutalist building of the Czech Embassy in Berlin designed by architects Věra and Vladimír Machonin, is coming to Prague. The upcoming exhibition at Prostora Gallery will present the building’s depositories: archival materials, original furniture, and authentic objects that are part of the embassy, as well as contemporary artworks that provide new interpretations of the building. The exhibition opening will take place on Wednesday, 4 February, at 6 pm.

The exhibition Spaceship Enterprise introduces to the public a still little-known yet highly significant icon of brutalist architecture—the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin, a key work by the architectural duo Věra and Vladimír Machonin. Upon its completion in 1978, the building earned the nickname “Enterprise,” a spaceship that had landed in no-man’s-land near the Berlin Wall. The building is currently awaiting renovation, and visitors to Prostora Gallery are given a very rare opportunity to encounter original objects from the building, archival documents, and works by contemporary artists who reinterpret the structure from today’s perspective. The exhibition features original author-designed furniture and lighting, tapestries, visual artworks, and films devoted to the embassy by Czech and international artists. This second chapter of the exhibition has been conceived by curators Helena Huber-Doudová (National Gallery Prague), Simona Binko (Czech Centre Berlin), and Marcela Steinbachová as a site-specific project for Prostora Gallery.

To this day, the building remains largely in its original condition. According to German architectural historian Felix Torkar, it is “unique for its striking and coherent design, evident both in the building’s main volumes and in the smallest details, which have survived almost unchanged like a true time capsule.” Unlike the Thermal Hotel or the Kotva Department Store, the building is relatively unknown to the Czech public, as at the time of its completion the Machonins were already facing professional marginalization under the communist regime, and the building was neither published nor exhibited. Today, it is recognized as an outstanding example of late modern architecture and ranks among the most distinctive buildings in central Berlin.

Věra Machoninová (born 1928) and Vladimír Machonin (1920–1990) are among the most important Czech architects of the second half of the 20th century. They left a lasting mark on Czech cities with projects such as the Thermal Festival Hotel in Karlovy Vary (1964–1977), the Kotva Department Store (1969–1975), and Dům bytové kultury in Prague (1968–1981). The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin (1970/1972–1978) was their final joint project. Recognition of the Machonins’ work has come retrospectively since the 1990s. Věra Machoninová has received numerous awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Award of the Grand Prix of the Architects’ Association (2006), the Honor of the Czech Chamber of Architects (2014), and the Ministry of Culture Award for Contributions to Architecture (2017).

The building is currently preparing for extensive renovation, offering visitors a unique opportunity to admire original author-designed objects from the Berlin embassy in Prague, for example works by ceramic artist Alena Kroupová, who would have celebrated her 100th birthday in 2026, or by textile artist Věra Drnková-Zářecká. The original objects and archival materials are presented in dialogue with contemporary artistic perspectives. Architectural photographers Simon Schnepp and Morgane Renou, in their photographic series Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin (2021–2022), capture the building’s interiors, armchairs, chairs, lamps, and artworks, in carefully composed, often staged scenes. Textile artist Karla Kislingerová addresses questions of state representation and national identity in her series of tapestries Where Is My Home (2023). The conceptual legacy of the building and its relevance for the present, and even the future, is explored by director Greta Stocklassa in her short film Raumschiff Enterprise (2025). By contrast, the physical forms and geometric impact of the architecture are examined through painterly approaches by Markus Huemer and Vladimír Houdek, whose subtle collages revolve around the act of “looking” at architecture. The building has also been explored by students of the Faculty of Architecture at ČVUT, whose model of the embassy will be on display as well.

Prostora is a gallery located in the Vinohrady district of Prague, founded by architect Marcela Steinbachová, the founder of the Skupina studio, the KRUH association, and the director of its activities (architecture lecture series, the Architecture Day Festival, the Film and Architecture Festival, and publishing projects). Since June 2023, Prostora has been housed in former telephone exchange buildings at Blanická Street 9, above Náměstí Míru, on the first floor, and now presents its tenth collection of visual artists. In the past and current year, Prostora has focused on presenting collections by contemporary artists.

Spaceship Enterprise
The exhibition opening will take place on Wednesday 4.2. 2026 at 6 PM
The exhibition will take place from 5.2. until 26.3. 2026

Galerie Prostora
Blanická 9 (first floor)
Praha 2, Vinohrady
120 00

Opening Hours
Wednesday–Friday: 14:00–18:00
Saturday, only if arranged prior: 14:00–18:00
or if otherwise requested (closed on public holidays)

Recommended entrance fee 80 Kč, discounted 50 Kč, more info on www.prostora.org.

Curators: Helena Huber-Doudová, Simona Binko, Marcela Steinbachová (Galerie Prostora)
Graphic design: Petr Babák, Martin Ponec (Laboratoř), www.laboratory.cz
Architecture: Skupina, Marcela Steinbachová, Pavel Směták

The project is supported by: Státní fond kultury ČR, Městská část Praha 2

Partners: Národní galerie v Praze, České centrum Berlín, Velvyslanectví České republiky v Berlíně, Ministerstvo zahraničních věcí České republiky
Partners of the Prague exhibition: Den architektury a festival Film a architektura, Česká centra, Fakulta architektury ČVUT
Media partnership: Český rozhlas Vltava, ArtMap, Kulturní magazín Uni, Prague Moon, Dolce Vita

The exhibition Raumschiff Enterprise and its catalogue were exhibited for the first time in Berlin in 2022. They were created as a part of the Triennale der Moderne 2022 with the support of ETOM – European Triennial of Modernism / zukunftsgeraeusche.de

Fotografka: Mgr. Art. et MgA. Katarína Hudačinová