Dancing House, Czech Republic
The Nationale-Nederlanden building on the Ranovo nábe (Ranovo Embankment) in Prague, Czech Republic, is known as the Dancing House, or Fred and Ginger. It was built on an empty riverbank property by Croatian-Czech architect Vlado Miluni in collaboration with Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The structure was completed in 1992. The BESIX-led building project was finished four years later, in 1996. The house was originally dubbed Fred and Ginger (after the performers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers - the house resembles a pair of dancers), but Gehry no longer uses that moniker.
Due to its odd shape, the style is recognized as constructivist architecture ("new-baroque" to the designers). 99 concrete panels, each with a different shape and dimension, support the "dancing" shape. A massive twisted metal structure dubbed Mary' stands atop the structure.
The Dancing House is divided into two portions and is located in the heart of a square of buildings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The first is a glass tower with undulating moldings and misaligned windows that narrow to half its height and is supported by carved pillars; the second runs parallel to the river and has undulating moldings and misaligned windows. In the construction, the famous dancers Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers are shown. A tower made of rock is used to represent Fred. This tower also includes a metalhead. A tower made of glass is used to represent Ginger.
Location: Prague, C R
