Maximilian PRAGUE A refurbishment of an Old Town favourite sees Conran + Partners usher Prague’s Maximilian into a new era by rooting it in history. Words: Kristofer Thomas Photography: © Matthias Aschauer
A
cross Europe’s major cities, Old Towns
losing the historic or cultural context that drew
are often the last stands of history against
guests in the first place. This is true of all Old
creeping gentrification or wholesale
Towns, but for the most popular, storied and
regeneration – shorthand for a cultural
romanticised – think districts within Bruges,
authenticity that has emerged as a driving
Split and Warsaw – the weight on each side of
force in 21st century travel. With an increasing
the scale is only increased.
number of guests seeking stays with substance
One of the more densely historic and
beyond service and style, these original cores
continuingly popular Old Towns is Prague’s
have taken on added meaning; long popular
Stare Mesto – the original heart of the Czech
with tourists, they’re now instilled with a sense
capital, hugging a curve in the Vltava. With the
of the genuine and authentic – a valuable asset
public square as its centre, the immediate area
in a globalised market feeding mostly off the
contains the Astronomical Clock – the oldest
same global trends and consumption patterns.
clock of its kind still operating – set amidst
As
such,
these
Old
Towns
and
the
the five-building Renaissance Gothic Town
neighbourhoods surrounding them have become
Hall complex; the Baroque 17th century Our
delicate balancing acts, with operators eager
Lady Before Tyn Church; the Jewish Quarter’s
to capitalise on the consistent flow of people,
venerated synagogues; the Gothic Charles
but wary of intervening too heavily in the local
Bridge; the Romanesque Holy Rood Rotunda
fabric, with both the public eye and stringent
and a network of branching streets lined with
UNESCO officials watching closely. Change too
architectural styles spanning nearly 1,000 years.
little and a hotel may not offer a satisfactory
In this few square miles – the bustling Old
level of comfort or meet brand standards,
Town itself and a ring of neighbourhoods serving
but change too much and it runs the risk of
it – history is tangible, and most structures will
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