Modernist Delights

Great Strahov Stadium, Prague, Czechia, 2026

A large, circular, concrete stadium structure shows signs of age with heavy graffiti and exposed pillars. A central staircase with metal railings leads to the elevated concourse, while a single dark car is parked on the paved ground beneath the open-air support columns.

A low-angle view shows the concrete stairs and underside of a weathered, brutalist building under a bright blue sky. A black metal railing lines the staircase, and the textured walls are covered in faded graffiti and dark, blocky, red-painted lettering.

A long, weathered concrete building with a row of uniform windows set against a clear blue sky. The exterior is textured and discoloured with peeling paint. Below, an open-air corridor supported by thick, grey cylindrical columns features numbered bays along the wall.

A large, weathered concrete stadium with a series of tall, arched openings. Two vertical banners featuring portraits and the text Paměť národa hang on the façade, centred above a horizontal yellow sign that directs visitors to the Great Strahov Stadium.

Two sets of double glass doors sit beneath a concrete overhang, marked by the number 08 on orange signs above each. The surrounding walls are weathered with peeling paint, graffiti, and exposed masonry, flanked by bright yellow structural pillars.

A low-angle view shows an outdoor car park framed by the yellow, angular structure of a modern building’s exterior staircase. Several cars and a motorbike are parked on the paved ground, with glass walls reflecting the sunlight and trees visible in the background.

A modern building with a dark, vertical-panelled upper section supported by yellow steel beams features a glass-enclosed stairwell. The structure stands alongside a weathered concrete building with a row of columns. White delivery vans are parked below under the bright sun.

A concrete block stands outdoors with bright green graffiti reading RUSÁCI NEUMĚJ HOKEJ in capital letters. White camper vans are parked on either side of the structure, and green leafy tree branches overhang the scene from above.

A wide set of weathered concrete steps leads up to the side of a brick and roughcast building. Rust-covered metal railings line both sides of the steps, which have patches of small weeds growing between them. The surrounding area includes tarmac, green trees, and a clear blue sky.

A brutalist concrete stadium exterior features a prominent staircase leading up to a raised walkway supported by heavy pillars. The aged, weathered structure is marked by patches of peeling paint and graffiti, contrasting with a vibrant green tree under a clear blue sky.

Concrete steps with metal railings rise towards an overhead walkway beside a motorway flyover. The massive concrete support pillars and the stair frame are heavily covered in colourful graffiti tags. Two black skips sit at the base of the steps on a paved car park.

A weathered concrete outdoor staircase with a black metal railing is reinforced by wooden scaffolding. The stairs are situated in front of a brutalist stadium building with concrete pillars and glass-panelled walls covered in graffiti. Grass grows in the foreground.

A low-angle view of a long, brutalist concrete building with rows of windows, set against a bright, hazy sky. A staircase leads up to a covered area on the side of the structure, whilst cars are parked along the street level below, framed by a tree on the left.

A large, weathered concrete stadium stands under a pale blue sky, its facade covered in graffiti, including the word ARTEMICIN. The brutalist structure features rows of tall concrete pillars and external stairs, with a parked car visible near the gated entrance below.

The brutalist façade of the AC Sparta Praha stadium features a concrete balcony and a prominent horizontal strip of graffiti-covered glass. Below, a car park filled with various cars is situated under the building’s large, elevated concrete overhang.

The “Great” in this stadium’s name refers very literally to its huge size. Built on Petřín Hill, beside the Strahov Tunnel ventilation tower, this massive concrete structure has an imposing presence, despite the almost 100 year old concrete stands becoming increasingly deteriorated.

The stadium was originally built for displays of synchronised gymnastics which were popular in the First Czechoslovak Republic at the time of the its construction, in 1926. The photos on Wikipedia illustrate the incredible scale of these events well.

At its peak the stadium had a capacity of 250,000, making it the second largest sports stadium by capacity ever, after the Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 400,000. The inner ground is the size of almost 9 standard football pitches.

Currently, the stadium is used as a training ground by the Sparta Prague football team.

The text graffitied on the side of a concrete vent in figure 8 reads “Russians can’t play hockey”.

Strahov Tunnel ventilation tower & control centre, Prague, Czechia, 2026

A brutalist hexagonal building with floor-to-ceiling blue tinted windows stands beneath a clear blue sky. A stone path leads to a central staircase climbing to the building’s entrance, surrounded by concrete walls and lush green trees.

A brutalist concrete building with a faceted, glass-panelled upper section stands under a clear blue sky. A concrete staircase and raised walkway lead towards the structure, which is flanked by a lush green tree on the right.

A brutalist concrete walkway supported by a heavy pillar extends over a car park beside a multi-storey building. The structure features geometric walls and large glass windows under a clear blue sky, with a dark saloon car parked in the shade beneath the flyover.

A brutalist concrete building with angular, protruding glass windows reaches towards a clear blue sky. A covered concrete walkway extends from the side of the structure, and tree branches with white blossoms frame the view from the foreground.

A large brutalist concrete building features a row of tall, metallic service doors beneath horizontal dark vents. An angular, multi-storey glass structure sits behind it, while a slender, textured concrete tower rises into the clear blue sky in the background.

A concrete industrial building features three identical vertical metal doors labelled T1, T2, and T3, each marked with high-voltage warning signs. Above the doors is a row of horizontal glass louvres set into a deep, overhanging concrete frame beneath a clear blue sky.

A tall, twin-towered concrete building rises above a wide set of stone steps. The structures have textured grey walls and a vertical strip of glass windows, set against a clear blue sky. Low concrete walls frame the staircase on either side, with leafy green trees on the left.

A tall, tapering concrete pylon with a grid of blue-tinted windows rises towards a clear blue sky. The base is constructed of textured stone blocks, and a large, weathered stadium structure with visible text is visible in the background.

A modern concrete tower features a prominent vertical glass façade made of rectangular blue panels. The tall, angular structure rises against a clear blue sky, with a smaller matching section visible behind it. Both sections are topped with small red safety lights.

Two massive concrete pillars stand tall against a deep blue sky, angled towards each other to create a narrow gap. The sun shines brightly through this opening, creating a dramatic starburst effect and casting the sides of the pillars into dark silhouettes.

A single white paper cup sits on a blue-tinted glass balcony balustrade. The balcony, framed by concrete pillars and an overhanging ceiling, overlooks a distant cityscape under a clear blue sky.

A tall, thin concrete tower with a vertical strip of dark windows stands on a paved plaza under a clear blue sky. Two smaller, multi-storey buildings with rounded, panelled designs sit in the background beside a road.

Strahov tunnel runs for 2004 metres, 60 metres underneath the Prague neighbourhood of Strahov. It officially opened to traffic on 2 December 1997. So close, if they hurried up a bit we could’ve shared a birthday.

The tunnel also contains a nuclear bunker with capacity for 15,000 people – see video here.

Baťa store, Prague, Czechia, 2026

A bright red Bata sign sits atop a modern glass office building behind a large, leafy green tree. To the right, a classic light-blue European building with ornate architectural details and white trim stands under a clear, deep blue sky.

Národní 38/36, Prague, Czechia, 2026

A multi-storey building features a large glass-panelled façade above a street-level shop window display. The building displays a Horror House advertisement and a small Ukrainian flag in a window, while pedestrians walk along the sunny pavement below.

Manchester in the fog, 2026

The Arndale Tower glows with a red sign at its peak, rising above a shopping centre shrouded in thick, nocturnal fog. Below, illuminated shopfronts with large text reading Foot Locker and Urban Playground stand beside a utility pole and glowing streetlights.

A low-angle view of the Rylands building at night, featuring glowing amber letters spelling RYLANDS and a large illuminated clock on its stone façade. Thin overhead wires criss-cross the misty dark sky, and a few windows are lit from within.

A busy city street at night is illuminated by tall streetlights through a thick fog. A tram moves along tracks on the right, while cars travel down the road. Pedestrians walk along the pavement and bridge, past modern buildings and a stone retaining wall.

The Mercure Hotel and City Tower stand against a dark, foggy night sky, their illuminated signs glowing in pink and white. The modern, multi-storey buildings feature horizontal rows of windows and balconies, casting faint light onto the street level below.

Palác ARA, Prague, Czechia, 2026

A multi-storey, curved art deco building with white stone walls and large glass windows stands at a city corner under a clear blue sky. Pedestrians walk on the pavement in front of street signs, metal barriers, and a lamp post. The building features a prominent corner clock and a rooftop sign.

This former department store, designed by architect Milan Babuška and built in 1930-31, is now a bank on the ground floor, with offices and co-working spaces above.

The building was extensively refurbished in 2018-19, with neon backlighting being added back to the façade, as per the original plans, as well as the signage at the top referring to its’ original use.

The clock is a nice touch, too.

Williamson Power Station, Lancaster, 2026

An abandoned red-brick industrial building stands silhouetted against a vibrant sunset with pink and orange clouds. A tall chimney rises from the side, and a metal security fence encloses the gravel car park and overgrown path in the foreground.

🪧 Days Without Posting Williamson Power Station: 0.

Derelict shopfront, Minoritská 472/8, Brno, Czechia, 2026

A weathered clothing shop shopfront with the red sign ELEGANCE DÁMSKÁ MÓDA in the window. Mannequins display shirts behind the glass, while the surrounding beige building façade is covered in graffiti and stickers near street level.

A tall, narrow building features a cream-coloured facade with ornate gold masks and brick accents between three storeys of windows. At street level, a clothing shop with red window signage and a grey retractable awning sits between neighbouring buildings in a city street.

On the ground floor of this building lies a womenswear shop, presumably defunct, covered in graffiti. Looking back at old Street View imagery, the condition of the building began to deteriorate around 2011, which is surprising as I found other buildings around this one to be clean – so perhaps it’s just a lack of maintenance that has allowed this one to languish.

The floors above the shop are actually very presentable. The Brno Architecture Manual, where the building is listed as the apartment building of Charlotte Deutsch, designed by Maximilian Leopold Matzenauer and built in 1904, notes the “facade is adorned with rich stucco Art Nouveau decoration”. The grape motifs perhaps relate to the Deutsch family distillery, which itself has recently been converted into shared offices and spaces for cultural and educational events.

The note above the door, presumably penned by the disgruntled residents of the apartments above, leaves no room for doubt: “This is not a toilet! Stop pissing and shitting here!”

Palác Alfa, Brno, Czechia, 2026

The façade of a modernist building features a grid of white rectangular panels and multiple rows of windows. The ground floor has large glass shopfront windows displaying hanging plants and the text Kadeřnický Salon printed on the glass.

A street view in a city centre shows a modern glass-fronted office building nestled between two older, cream-coloured buildings. A blue sign reading SKY ICE BAR hangs on the left corner, whilst pedestrians and a person walking a small dog stroll along the stone-paved pavement.

Sometimes, a building captures my attention for reasons that aren’t always immediately obvious.

Palác Alfa is an inter-war complex of retail and housing in the functionalist style, designed by Czech architect Bohuslav Fuchs. It is the retail element which interests me the most – an intricately detailed arcade featuring curved glass, metal window frames and balustrades, and a clock to make Preston bus station turn green with envy.

The current interior is primarily a result of post-war reconstruction, with the arcade having been severely damaged during the war. Original functionalist details have also been restored during later reconstructions, such as when the original cinema in the basement was adapted for use by the HaDivadlo theatre.

I didn’t enter the arcade when I visited because I didn’t realise what awaited me inside, but there are great photos of the interior on the Alfa Passage website.

Modernist Delights is a blog about modernist and brutalist architecture. Find out more.