Invalidovna
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| This. This is Invalidovna. |
After the defeat of the Protestant Bohemian nobility during the Thirty Years War (1618-1648, again, it's coming--eventually), Catholic nobility essentially had to be imported by the victorious Catholic Hapsburgs to repopulate the ranks. One such noble family were the Strozzis, a Florentine family who were given lands and titles in Bohemia in the 1630s. Peter Strozzi, the eldest son of the family, inherited the lands and title and served in the military, achieving several high-ranking positions. In 1658, after a long convalescence from a war injury, he wrote a will which set aside his estate for the care of poor wounded veterans. In 1664, at the age of 38, he was killed in action during a battle against the Turkish army, and, as he had no heir but his wife, the vast bulk of his estate was set aside for the care of wounded veterans. His wife, who controlled the estate, died in 1714, and, having bequeathed her remaining possessions to the Military Disability Foundation of Petra Count Strozzi, the real work could begin. Ultimately, instead of converting Strozzi's more rural estates into a home, it was decided to build a new facility, in Prague, modeled on Les Invalides, a similar home in Paris--which is where Invalidovna gets its name.
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| Count Pete. |
Originally designed as a massive complex, the foundation didn't quite have the budget for the original plans, so the designs were reworked and only 1/9th of the original idea was build. The facility opened in 1737, a full 73 years after Count Strozzi died.. While it was still a military institution, with the inhabitants expected to follow orders and behave themselves, it was actually staffed by members of the The Order of Knights with Red Star, a local order of religious knights. Residents often had jobs, and those with families were sometimes allowed to bring their families with them into the facility. At its peak, it houses some 1200 residents, though often it was far fewer than that, depending on the Foundations financial strength. The population slowly dwindled, especially after World War I ,and in 1935, the last residents left. After that, the building was used partly as a military museum, partly for archives.
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| The original plans for the facility; only the bottom left corner was built. |
Invalidovna is on the flood plain for the Vlatava, though not immediately on the river.indeed. Only on so-called "hundred year floods" can reach the building.
Unfortunately, a flood in 1890 killed a number of Austrian soldiers who were residents (Prague then being within the boundaries of the Austrian Empire). Then, in 2002, another "hundred year" flood struck, covering towns all along the river with water and submerging entire neighborhoods in Prague. Karlin, the neighborhood around Invalidovna, was hit very hard, and the waters rose far higher than expected, so most of the archived material was destroyed. Indeed, the entire ground floor was underwater.
The building has essentially been sitting empty ever since, with only very occasional tours allowed to the public. The front facade ahas been fully restored, but much of the inside is still heavily damaged. However, the building has just fallen under the purview of the Ministry of Culture, and they made it part of the Prague Open House event, which allowed free visits and tours to some 60 buildings all around Prague. It was the firs time the building had been open to the public in any capacity in 3 years.
So, to get back to where I started, my flatmate and I took the English tour, and it did not disappoint. If you're a fan of buildings full of creepy grandeur, you would have enjoyed yourself tremendously.
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| The side entrance, overgrown and in disrepair. |
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| Our tour guide--a very nice lady who had never given a tour in English before. She was more than up to the task. |
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| The hall where the military archives were kept. The flood waters made it almost to the level of the upper windows. |
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| The beds would line the walls, and each room would have a large table in the center. |
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| Junior officers and residents' families would live in the gallery above. |
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| Replicas of the statues over the entrance line the hallways. |
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| The ruined chapel. |
Over the years, Invalidovna has been a location for numerous films. One, about the life of Albert Einstein, left their mark in the form of complex mathematical equations on the walls and windows of one room. To be fair, I'm not sure if it was *actual* mathematics or just math-looking stuff, but it's cool regardless.
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| Carry the one... |
Personally, I have been keen to visit Invalidovna because it was used extensively in Czech native Milos Forman's Amadeus, a movie I have loved since I was far too young to understand it. It's used as the asylum that Salieri is taken to and where he tells his story.
Incidentally, this chap has done an excellent job of finding and photographing the various Prague filming locations for the film (and others). If you're planning on visiting Prague, which you should, go check it out.
Invalidovna itself became the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture quite recently, and the plan is to renovate and restore the building, while maintaining its historical layout and design. Once that is finished, it will provide office space for NGOs, charities, and cultural organizations, including the Prague Orchestra. Moreover, the Ministry plans to have many more opportunities for visitors to see inside its walls, but perhaps not for a while. So, this is one landmark that I can recommend you visit, but you may never get the chance to. I am certainly very glad I did.
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