Beauty on the Vltava River

In a city like Prague, even the socalled new building has a history of dozens or even hundreds of years. The Four Seasons Hotel Prague is composed of three old buildings and a newer building. The Vltava River outside the hotel window flows with the charm of the four seasons of water, and the hotel buildings also exude the static serenity of Prague.

Praises for the Czech Aesthetics

The modern architecture of the hotel complex, created by the famous French designer PierreYves Rochon, perfectly conveys the city‘s refined, casual and stylish contemporary lifestyle. The emeraldlike light color tone of the guestrooms is a blend of black, gray, white and chrome yellow; bohemian crystal elements appear everywhere, and the enchanting branches of the chandeliers not only light up the space, but also reflect the deep charm of the traditional Czech art; the straight and clean pinstripes are a tribute to Czech aesthetics, and the old black and white photos of Prague on the walls bring a comfortable homely atmosphere. Looking out from the window, the scenery can be captured from any angle, and the Prague Castle can be spotted following the Vltava River.

Three tall historic buildings represent the new Renaissance, neoclassical and Baroque styles. Among them, the NeoRenaissance style building was designed in 1883. It was formerly a commercial and residential building. The highlight of the interior is the arched structure with a sloping laminated roof. The affluent, opulent art design has been perfectly restored, including the murals in the majestic entrance hall and the classical columns supporting the walls. Back in 1827, the neoclassical building was originally a factory and was not used as an apartment building until 1846.The walls of the building reflect the northern and western decorative styles, and the elegant cornices and delicately painted details remain to this day. Built in 1568, the Baroque building is one of the oldest, standing on the Vltava River in front of the Crusader Knights Monastery. The Presidential Suite of the Four Seasons Hotel is located here, and the rich red and gold tones and elegant furniture style will definitely create the illusion of the European royal family. The Charles Bridge outside the bedroom window is close at hand. The integration of multiple architectural styles, and their abilities to interact with each other, are truly praiseworthy.

The interior decoration of the hotel has also successfully combined the new and old art styles. In the selection of materials, French limestone, marble and expensive logs are used in public areas, inheriting the traditional interior decoration style of Prague. In the lobby, the limestone panels, the frame edges and the structured openings of the door are an important embodiment of the interior decoration of the 19th century. Yet, the simple geometric pattern of the lobby floor and the design of the restaurant wall panel show a modernist look.

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Through the Czechborn French writer Milan Kundera‘s prose and its deep irony, I have absorbed the exquisite and heavy semantics of a Frenchman with a Czech bloodline. The most ironic thing is not his work, but that even when he becomes famous in the foreign land, the rebellion and the deep sorrows of the Central Europeans still run deep, something that even the romantic and passionate Seine can not provide. That may be the true unbearable lightness of being. Instead, I favored more Bedrich Smetana who returned from Gothenburg to Prague. The patriotic enthusiasm, the grand imagery and connotation in his work ”My Fatherland” are full of the Czechs‘ praise of life, independence and dignity. Such glorification is more direct and splendid. Passionate Central Europe; rebellious and innocent Czechs; carefree and bourgeoisiefilled Prague; since staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, I seemed to have had a mutual understanding of them and enjoyed an identical soul vibration.