The Laichter house family: descendant of famous publisher renovates stunning Vinohrady building

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One of the most impressive buildings in Prague’s district of Vinohrady is the Laichter House, located on the edge of Riegerovy sady. The modernist building was designed by famous Czech architect Jan Kotěra at the request of Jan Laichter, who needed a space for his newly established publishing house and a home for his family. The publishing house, which attracted Prague’s intellectual elite, operated until 1949, when it was closed down by the Communists. Today, the house is being cared for by Štěpán Laichter, the great-great-grandson of the publisher, who wants to renovate it and transform it into a museum and a cultural space. To raise funds for its renovation, he is offering one of the apartments for short-term rental. I met with Štěpán Laichter in what used to be his great-great-grandfather’s study to talk about the family legacy.