Maximillian

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

Across Europe’s major cities, Old Towns are often the last stands of history against creeping gentrification or wholesale regeneration – shorthand for a cultural authenticity that has emerged as a driving force in 21 st century travel. With an increasing number of guests seeking stays with substance beyond service and style, these original cores have taken on added meaning; long popular with tourists, they’re now instilled with a sense of the genuine and authentic – a valuable asset in a globalised market feeding mostly off the same global trends and consumption patterns. As such, these Old Towns and the neighbourhoods surrounding them have become delicate balancing acts, with operators eager to capitalise on the consistent flow of people, but wary of intervening too heavily in the local fabric, with both the public eye and stringent UNESCO officials watching closely. Change too little and a hotel may not offer a satisfactory level of comfort or meet brand standards, but change too much and it runs the risk of losing the historic or cultural context that drew guests in the first place. This is true of all Old Towns, but for the most popular, storied and romanticised – think districts within Bruges, Split and Warsaw – the weight on each side of the scale is only increased.

One of the more densely historic and continuingly popular Old Towns is Prague’s Stare Mesto – the original heart of the Czech capital, hugging a curve in the Vltava. With the public square as its centre, the immediate area contains the Astronomical Clock – the oldest clock of its kind still operating – set amidst the five-building Renaissance Gothic Town Hall complex; the Baroque 17 th century Our Lady Before Tyn Church; the Jewish Quarter’s venerated synagogues; the Gothic Charles Bridge; the Romanesque Holy Rood Rotunda and a network of branching streets lined with architectural styles spanning nearly 1,000 years.

In this few square miles – the bustling Old Town itself and a ring of neighbourhoods serving it – history is tangible, and most structures will

The ground floor public spaces reference the clean lines of Czech modernist architecture with nods to Karel Teige’s poetic take on the avant-garde movement

have a tale to tell. One such structure is Maximilian, a hotel set within a row of 19 th century buildings in the shadow of Haštal church. The property opened in 1995, with a 2005 refurbishment ushering it into the new millennium, and now – 25 years after launch – the hotel begins another, with Conran + Partners tapped to bring the 71-key property into the 2020s; still within walking distance of the same Old Town, but part of a very different hospitality marketplace.

Maximilian is a brother of sorts to Hotel Josef, one of the city’s original boutiques, both falling under the ownership of Rudolf and Christian Ploberger and originally designed by Eva Jiricna. Just a two-minute walk down the block, Josef is “iconic for its glass,” says Tina Norden, Partner, Conran + Partners. “It’s very cool and very minimal, but I think in many ways, what we were trying to do with Maximilian was create something different, and to give it a real counterpoint. If you like very distinctive, almost techno-architecture then you have that option of Josef around the corner, but this is perhaps a more humanist and engaging style in that sense.”

Comprising a guestroom update, a full spa makeover and the renovation of the ground floor to create a new series of public spaces – not least the addition of a library event space, bar, brasserie and café – the project has taken on an entirely new palette and aesthetic style, though remains rooted in the kind of cultural substance that gives the area its continuing appeal. Referencing the clean lines of Czech modernist architecture, along with nods to pioneering avantgarde artist and critic Karel Teige’s poetic take on the movement, the scheme looks to more recent history than the gothic monuments around it for inspiration, though nonetheless highlights an equally important era in the nation’s cultural making.

“We were very much inspired by that period of time,” Norden explains. “Teige was very much a part of the poetic modernist movement, which was never so much about black and white and hard lines, but instead looked to a softer side of modernism.”

The most prominent alteration sees the addition of Brasserie Maximilian, a contemporary brasserie overseen by New York chef Scott Van Wagenen. Operating with a ‘local products, global flavours’ approach, the menu draws from community- and

eco-driven farms and fishmongers within or on the outskirts of Prague – the fare itself exploring elements of Asian, American and Czech cuisine.

“A big issue with the hotel was that it didn’t have any kind of F&B element,” Norden adds. “There was nothing to draw people in that weren’t staying in the hotel. One of the key things we were trying to do was open it up more, so we now have a brasserie that doubles as a breakfast spot on the ground floor, as well as a café – this process was really about creating a showcase window for the hotel from the street.”

Styled around simple geometry and clean aesthetics, the brasserie is characterised by a lighting installation designed by Sans Souci – a collection of sleek translucent hanging screens that set out the pastel palette flowing through the wider hotel. Incorporating the soft pinks, bold blues, pale yellows and muted greys found extensively across the Old Town’s material palette – as well as in the works of Czech artists like Kybal, Čapek and the aforementioned Teige – the use of colour underpins the refurbishment, and is tweaked throughout to suit the occasion.

Furnishings by Konsepti and Vitra along with

bathroom fixtures by Laufen and carpets by Brintons connect the public spaces, as does an art programme that mixes Tiege’s own photography with abstract painting and collage. The modernist theme branches in two for the event spaces; the coloured block panels of the larger white meeting room nodding to the era’s more future-gazing ideals, whilst the stately woodpanelled library places itself in the movement’s historical context.

Whilst no major structural alterations have been made to guestroom layouts, a new coat of deep blue adds character. Options range from mini to balcony deluxe, with views out to the church and Old Town. Most incorporate a small window nook, with minimal black and gold lighting fixtures, pastel-tone furnishings and wooden flooring, with the deluxe option housed within the curve of the structure.

Whilst tourists heading to Prague old town are likely to be on the hunt for medieval or renaissance sights, or big statement moments like the Astrological Clock, the narrative that anchors Maximilian takes the decision to explore a lesser-appreciated yet just as storied period in the city’s cultural heritage. EXPRESS CHECK-OUT Owners: Christian and Rudolf Ploberger Interior Design: Conran + Partners Art Consultant: Dais Contemporary Contractor: Kališ a Krátkoruký www.maximilianhotel.com