Sklenářka

This valuable Baroque building, a listed heritage site, has stood on its solitary spot overlooking the zoo for nearly four centuries.

Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Sklenářka was likely built at the end of the 17th century as a vineyard estate. The vineyards that once surrounded it have, however, long since disappeared, and the building found a new purpose in the mid-20th century, when it began to be used as accommodation for zoo staff. Between 2011 and 2012, it underwent a sensitive restoration that preserved as many of its original structural and decorative features as possible, including painted ceiling beams and antique windows. Spanning three floors, the elegant interiors now serve as a residence for distinguished official guests of Prague Zoo.

The Sklenářka’s interiors in 2014, shortly after its restoration. Photo: Tomáš Adamec, Prague Zoo