Passage Koruna

The Koruna Passage is a late historicist building from the early twentieth century that stands on the corner of Wenceslas Square and Na příkopě street in Prague's New Town district. Opened in 1914, the building is considered one of the first with a reinforced concrete structure and is now a protected cultural monument as well as part of the UNESCO-recognized historic center. Architecturally, the six-story corner building impresses with its continuous passage and a central hall crowned by a dome with stained-glass windows. The facade is defined by projecting bays and a striking corner pyramid topped by a crown held aloft by atlantes, while the sculptural decoration is the work of Stanislav Sucharda. Originally, the building housed, among other things, a movie theater and a swimming pool in the basement. The palace also became known for the so-called Koruna automat, which in the 1930s was one of the first of its kind to offer lemonade and open-faced sandwiches before it closed for good in 1992. Today the building serves mainly as an office building for numerous companies and businesses.