Czech name: Centrum současného umění DOX
A notable Prague museum and place to celebrate unconventional expression, the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art & Design — Centrum současného umění DOX in Czech — opened in 2008 and is the largest modern art institution in the Czech Republic.
The complex is a hive of former factory buildings, and the institution’s driving mission is to “transform everyday experience” by exploring how “things can be done differently” via exhibitions, performances, and “critical public discussion.”
Location & How to Get There
The DOX Centre is housed in a former factory located in the trendy Holešovice district. The exact address is Poupětova 1, 17000 Praha 7- Holešovice.
To get there by public transportation, take either the 6 or 12 tram to the Ortenovo náměstí stop. By metro, take the C line to Nádraží Holešovice station + one tram stop to Ortenovo náměstí stop or 5 minutes walk.
Opening Hours & Entry
If you are visiting the DOX expect to pay 210 CZK for a basic admittance, 120 CZK for a reduced ticket, and 380 CZK for a family pass.
What to Do & What to See
The cutting-edge DOX Centre is a patchwork of galleries, lecture halls, and performance spaces. There’s also a design shop, bookstore, archive facility.
The Gulliver Airship, a 42-meter long blimp-shaped structure, straddles the complex’s rooftops. It’s made of wood and steel and plays host to workshops and lectures. At events, guests typically sit on the floor. Named after “Gulliver’s Travels,” the “parasitic” add-on represents the utopian ideal of exploration and discovery in all its forms.
Multifunctional Hall is another DOX event space. From the outside, the square venue looks like a plush, upholstered headboard. Inside, lectures, film screenings, concerts, and interactive workshops are typically on tap.
History
The DOX Centre building started life as a factory for Rossemann & Kühnemann Co. in the late 1800s. Originally, it was a one-story building. In 1920, a second story was added to one part. Since then, it’s morphed and grown through a series of renovations.
After Rossemann & Kühnemann moved out in 1925, an aviation company and smith-works business moved in. During the Czech Republic’s nationalization period, the state-owned ZUKOV Company occupied the space.
After the Velvet Revolution, Leoš Válka — who’d been living abroad for 15 years — returned to his homeland and bought the factory in 2002. Once purchased, he embarked on a mission to transform the buildings into a premiere modern art center.
Válka succeeded. Today, DOX is an award-winning, 3000-square-meter venue that’s managed to remain a non-governmental, non-profit, non-collecting Prague gallery and art space.