In 1986, a slum clearance began in the Josefov (Jewish Quarter) of Prague. Only the six synagogues, the Jewish Town Hall and the Jewish cemetery were spared. The destruction of buildings extended south into Old Town as far as the north side of Old Town Square. The elimination of many noteworthy structures brought about protests. In an attempt to quell the intellectual outcry, Osvald Polívka was charged with creating a new monumental building on Old Town Square’s north side. The building created for the Prague City Insurance Company is a transitional structure. It is basically a neo-Baroque construction with some Art Nouveau decorative elements. A number of artists worked on the building including Ladislav Saloun, the most prominent Czech sculptor of the Art Nouveau era. Saloun's most famous work is the Jan Hus Monument which coincidently is located in front of Prague City Insurance Company. It was finished on 1915. Polívka and Saloun also collaborated on the Pojišťovna Praha (Prague Insurance Company) building on Národi which can be seen by clicking here. The Prague City Insurance Company building currently houses the Ministry of Regional Development (Ministerstvo pro místní rozvoj).

Under Construction- More photos to come.