The Rajská Zahrada Hotel | DAD studio

The new hotel was bulit on the site of a former printing house, one of the leading ones in the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. The printing house was bulit by Theodor Böhm. The hotel stands on a rock overlooking a mysterious „garden of Eden“, with the river Metuje meandering below. It was the garden which prompted the name of the hotel – The Garden of Eden. The hotel is comprised of three buildings, which includes 21 rooms, three suits – Jurkovič, Bartoň, and Mácha, as well as a wellness facility with a swimming pool a fitness room, a konference hall, a restaurant and a new terrace. The hotel compound is complete with a garden and the river. The original buildings were reconstructed, and a structure of graphic concrete was added on to house the wellness facility, the restaurant and the konference hall. The glass walls allow a breathtaking view of the valley where the Metuje meanders, of the „garden of Eden“ and the historical centre of the city. Nové Město on Metuje is home to my favorite architect Dušan Jurkovič, and I strongly believe – even though proof is missing – that the tiny picturesque terrace which we discovered in the early stage of development, must have been authored by him. Unfortunately, the structure was in such a poor condition that its rescue was simply unthinkable. It was here that I uncovered a very special window which became the key motif of the artistic manual of the hotel (authors Matyas Chochola and Bára Kleinhamplová). The investor of the project, an enlightened man, set clear vision of the final look. At the same time had full confidence in me and gave me a free hand, kept in synch with the project and upheld it to the least detail. My objective was to draft a hotel which - excuse my license – would express despair bordering on beauty. I mean that I sought emotion above all – the joy of life, poesy, smile exploring the thin, often blurred intagible, and very individual border line between art and kitch… Also, my ambition was to pay tribute to Dušan Jurkovič. Inside the hotel there are design pieces from Tom Dixon, Phillip Starck, Patricie Urquoila, Brokis, Preciosa, Ateh, Ton, Designers Guild, Llev, Bomma, LA PALMA, Helena Dařbujánová… The only one thing which is still missing here is a beach, with a few rocking chairs, and a rowboat moored at the river bank… But it will come. Here one them would be in the mood to wonder not only about the charms of Nové Město on Metuje, but also about the bounty of human behavior Our design studio – DAD STUDIO, prepared the project documntation – from the concept through to the building permit, to the implementation documentation to the interior design, and took part in the building proces. It took four years. Thanks to all.