>>2004

slideshow

Bohemian National Hall –
The Center of Czech Culture for More Than 100 Years

• Work in progress

Since 2001, the Bohemian National Hall has been the property of the Czech Republic. Thanks to the openness and support of the consulate-general, the Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association, and the Czech Center in New York, the photographic project that documents the unique and inimitable interior of the "original" Bohemian National Hall was begun. This project, which has also received the significant support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, continues with a visual documentation of the extensive process of reconstruction, and will be completed with the photographic documentation of the reconstructed building.The Bohemian National Building brings, along with its historical, social and cultural importance, a particular visual character suited to photography. The interior offers a remarkable pictorial experience in the form of characteristic light penetrating the space, creating a natural, but highly impressive, interior illumination. Photographs documenting the reconstruction, even with its architectural alterations, show their worth in the chronological series, offering the possibility to compare "before" and "after"; and marked with the impressive play of daylight that uniquely completes the genius loci of the building.

© Marian Benes

BOHEMIAN NATIONAL HALL | NYC 2004