Invalidovna

History

Invalidovna was built in 1731–1737 as a dormitory for war invalids (veterans) by Kilian Ignac Dientzenhofer. Its model was Les Invalides, a building for veterans inaugurated in Paris in 1679.

Only a ninth of the original design was ever completed. At most, about 1,200 inmates lived there. In 1935, all inhabitants moved to another "invalidovna", at Hořice, and the building was used by the Czech army. After this, it was used as an army archive. The building was damaged by a large flood in 2002, and most of the archive materials were destroyed. The building currently awaits reconstruction. One possible future use is as an open space for culture and social life.

In popular culture

The Invalidovna complex has served as a filming location for several notable movies, including the 1984 American drama film Amadeus directed by Miloš Forman, and Guillermo del Toro's 2004 film Hellboy. In 2023, Robert Eggers chose Invalidovna as one of the filming locations for his adaptation of Nosferatu, a modern interpretation of the classic vampire tale.

Transport

The metro station Invalidovna is named after the building.

References

References

1. Pavitt, Jane. (2000). "Prague". Manchester University Press.
2. (15 August 2022). "Study: Floods that hit Czechia in 2002 were unique in Central Europe".
3. Miloš F. Drdácký. "Flood Damage to Historic Buildings and Structures". Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities.
4. Modrá, Katrina. (24 August 2019). "Celebrating 35 years of Forman's 'Amadeus' at Baroque culture center Invalidovna". Expats.cz.
5. . (24 October 2017). ["Boo! 20 Hollywood Horror Movies That Were Filmed in Prague"](https://www.praguereporter.com/home/2017/10/24/20-hollywood-horror-movies-that-were-filmed-in-prague/#google_vignette). *The Prague Reporter*.
6. (27 March 2023). "'Nosferatu' now filming at Prague's historic Invalidovna complex". The Prague Reporter.