Centrotex

The current Ministry of the Interior building was previously the headquarters of the foreign trade company Centrotex, which was responsible for the export and import of Czechoslovak textiles. Originally located in the Veletržní Palace, it moved to this brutalist new building after a fire in the 1970s. The grand administrative structure consists of two parts, referred to as the “cow” and the “calf” due to their different sizes. The concrete crowns on the tops of the buildings, resembling horns, may also allude to these nicknames. The facade, made of anodized aluminum with an intricate grid, serves as a sunshade. The building has a recessed first floor, and a notable feature is the adjacent concrete ventilation shaft from the metro. A sculptural granite relief at the exit of the Pražského povstání metro station references the historic event of the same name from 1945 and is the work of sculptor Stanislav Hanzík.