Locations #2

The city of Železný Brod (German Eisenbrod) turns into a veritable trading centre for the glass business in the 1920s. At the end of the 1930s, the construction of the Hotel Cristal Palace begin right next to the main square of the town. Designed by the architects František Stalmach and Jan Hanuš Svoboda, the new building with its rounded corner towers above the traditional small-scale houses of the surrounding area.  

On the ground floor, the building hosts a bank with glass inspectors checking the merchants' wares. The hotel, restaurant and bar have their own foyer, which is completely furnished in white marble. Room dividers, walls and doors made of glass, as well as countless chandeliers do the hotel's name credit. After the war, a self-service restaurant moves into the ground floor, while the hotel is run until the end of the 1990s.  

After that, the owners change several times, and the condition of the building deteriorates. But in the meantime there is a new investor who is pursuing the ambitious goal of reconstructing the building as close as possible to its original condition. Maybe one day one will be able to sit underneath one of the glass chandeliers again and enjoy the fantastic atmosphere and the view outside while eating - definitely a highlight for any architecture fan.