Praha 13 town hall

Prague 13 Town Hall rises above Sluneční náměstí (Sunny Square) in the Nové Butovice neighborhood, right next to Hůrka metro station. It houses the Municipal Office of Prague 13, an oval, six-storey building that has served as the administrative heart of one of Prague's larger districts for more than two decades.

Why did this district need its own town hall?

The district, then still known as Jihozápadní Město (Southwest City), became an independent municipal unit in autumn 1994. At its very first assembly meeting, local representatives passed a resolution naming a dedicated town hall building as one of the district's top priorities. For several years afterward, the office operated out of temporary premises, which made it harder to serve a rapidly growing population on the city's southwestern edge.

An architectural competition to decide the building's design was held in 2000. The winning entry came from architect Miloš Haase of the firm Spojprojekt, working with a team of collaborators. The foundation stone was laid on June 1, 2001, and the project's total cost came to roughly 360 million Czech crowns — a figure that reflected both the building's scale and the district's ambition to give itself a proper civic landmark. The town hall opened its doors to the public on Monday, June 2, 2003.

What makes the building's architecture distinctive?

The town hall's most recognizable feature is its oval floor plan built around a central atrium, a layout that lets natural light reach deep into the office space despite the building's considerable bulk. The load-bearing structure is a monolithic reinforced-concrete frame, and the whole building rests on pillars, giving it a sense of lightness that belies its actual mass. The façade is clad in steel cassette panels, lending the structure a distinctly modern, almost industrial look that stands apart from the socialist-era housing blocks surrounding it.

Across its six floors, the building combines back-office administrative space with public service counters covering everything from residency registration to construction permits and social affairs. Its position on Sluneční náměstí, directly beside a metro line B station, was a deliberate choice: the office needed to be easy to reach not just for residents living nearby, but for the entire district.

Why is it worth a look on a walk through Nové Butovice?

Prague 13 Town Hall is a good example of Czech civic architecture from the turn of the millennium, a period when newly independent local governments — fresh off the post-1989 transformation — invested in purpose-built, representative headquarters rather than making do with the makeshift offices they had inherited. The building anchors Sluneční náměstí, which, together with a nearby shopping centre and transit hub, functions as the practical center of Nové Butovice.

For visitors exploring Prague's residential districts beyond the historic center, the town hall offers an instructive contrast to the medieval architecture of the Old Town. It shows how contemporary Prague approaches public and administrative space in neighborhoods built up largely after the Second World War.

Frequently asked questions

When was Prague 13 Town Hall built? Construction began with the laying of the foundation stone on June 1, 2001, and the building opened on June 2, 2003.

Who designed the building? Architect Miloš Haase, working with a team from the firm Spojprojekt, won the architectural competition held in 2000.

How do you get to Prague 13 Town Hall? It stands on Sluneční náměstí, directly next to Hůrka metro station on line B.

How much did the building cost? The construction is estimated to have cost around 360 million Czech crowns.