Luxury apartments for sale in Prague

The content of the www.jilska2.com website is provided as a convenience and constitutes non-binding information only. It was prepared at a time when not all elements of the design were final yet. As the project involves a historic building that will partially be demolished and subsequently rebuilt, the design and details are partly based on assumptions.

For this reason, it cannot be definitively ruled out that some of the indicated sizes and dimensions may deviate from the actual sizes and dimensions upon completion. The dimensions indicated in the drawings are for information purposes only. No rights may be derived from these data. The perspective drawings, computer images and animations, artist’s impressions, internal layout sketches, et cetera, are intended to provide prospective buyers with a general impression of the plan and apartment types. Although they provide an impression that is as accurate as possible of the final project result, no rights may be derived from these drawings and sketches. The same applies to the materials, colour schemes and amenities represented in the presentations, as these were left to the illustrator¹s discretion and his ideas of the details of the final design.

The layout drawings concern a location and a suggestion for the layout design. To determine the exact location of your property lines, please refer to the division plan, and for the actual layout options, please refer to the contract drawings.

We emphasize that the Jilska 2 books and website are not contractual documents and contain no information that can be equated to any such documents.

Jilska 2 draws upon a rich history with its roots going back to the fifteenth century. The building, often called a palace, bears the imprint of various historical periods that help preserve the magical character of days long past.

Before the existing neo-renaissance structure, designed by the prominent architect Antonin Wiehl in 1889, a building called „At The Young Goliaths“ or „Bechynovsky House“ stood here. The gothic style that once stood is represented by a preserved fragment from the original gateway with a coat of arms that Wiehl placed onto the courtyard façade..

Another element pointing to the diversity of styles is a relief medallion from the sixteenth century featured on the corner façade. It depicts a portrait of Katherine of Loksany in a period renaissance dress. Katherine was the champion and protector of the secret relationship between the Archduke Ferdinand II and Philippine Welser.

The façade of the upper floors is boasts two sgraffito from the late 19th century by the famous artist Mikolas Ales. These feature allegoric scenes “In the Service of the Community“ and “Family Happiness“ pointing to a military and familial theme.

A number of significant events have indelibly determined the character of the house. Max Brod, the man who famously saved instead of agreeing to burn the work of the famous writer, Franz Kafka’s. He lived in the apartment on the third floor. It was also in this apartment where the famous writer Kafka met the love of his life, Felice Bauer. The apartment was later the venue for the celebration of their engagement.

The architect of the Residental Palace Jilská II, Antonín Wiehl (1846-1910) is considered the leading figure of the Czech Neo-Renaissance. Besides Jilska II, his limited edition of architectural designs in Prague includes Rott House, which is now home to the legendary club Hard Rock Café, today’s branch of the Czech Savings Bank in Rytirska No.29, Bedrich Smetana Museum on the Novotneho lavka and Wiehl House on Wenceslas Square 34 which houses the famous Academia bookstore. Finally, Wiehl also contributed to the reconstruction of the New Town Municipal house in the Old Town Square.

Outside of the capital, Wiehl was active in other Czech cities, such as Dobris or Slany. Wiehl was also an accomplished landscape designer. He designed the park in front of the Main Station in Prague, updated the Jewish cemetery in Josefov, and designed its walls.

With the financial assistance of Karel Gemperel, Wiehl built the house on the corner of Jilska and Skorepka for his own use. Both Gemperel and Wiehl were registered as owners of the building. Karel Gemperel unfortunately never saw it finished as he died before the project’s completion in 1889 and Antonin Wiehl ended up designing a different house for himself – today’s Wiehl House on the corner of Wenceslas Square and Vodickova street, which he then bequeathed to the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The fourth floor of the facade of the Residential Palace Jilska II facing the streets of Skorepka and Na Perstyne features figurative sgraffiti designed by Mikolas Ales (1852-1913), a frequent collaborator of Antonin Wiehl. The first sgraffito called „In the Service of the Community“ depicts an armored man carrying a shield with Prague’s coat of arms parting with his wife and a young lad holding his helmet. The second piece „Family Happiness“ evoking a domestic scene, features a woman with a spinning wheel, a woman making embroidery and a man standing at a writing pulpit. These images may have been inspired by the shared history of the two original gothic and renaissance houses of Jilska 2 and Jilska 4 that once belonged to two important Old Town mayors, M. F. Turek and J. V. Vejvoda.

Ales is considered to be the leading figure of the 19th-century art scene. This preeminent Czech painter, drawer and illustrator belonged among the key members of the so called National Theater generation. In 1879, Mikolas Ales together with Frantisek Zenisek participated in the competition to design the decorations for the foyer of the National Theater. Their project for four wall panels and the cycle called Motherland won.

In his early work, Ales was influenced by patriotic tendencies and drew upon romanticism, then dominating the Czech art. Later, Ales dedicated himself mainly to illustrations and worked for journals such as Kvety, Ruch, Svetozor, Zlata Praha and other. He was also interested in book designs and prints – his most notable illustrations include those for Jirasek’s Ancient Bohemiam Legends and Celakovsky’s Echoes of Russian Songs.

Many of his sgraffito were shown at the National Ethnographic Exhibition of 1895. In 1896, the first monograph devoted to Ales’s work was published by Manes Circle. Ales gained acclaim during his life, mainly as an illustrator and decorator. His oil paintings, however, were properly appreciated only later in the 20th century.

There are several houses in Prague built by famous architects such as Antonin Wiehl that feature decorative elements based on designs by Mikolas Ales. Besides Jilska II, there is the Rott’s House and Wiehl’s House on Wenceslas Square.

The bay window on the second floor facing the Jilska street features a medallion with a portrait of a renaissance lady. The circular relief is a replica of the original in the Granovsky Palace in Tynska street and depicts Katherine of Loksany known for her role as a confidante and protector of the secret relationship and later marriage of her niece Philippine Welser and Ferdinand II, Archduke of Further Austria (1529-1595), the second son of the Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I. Phillipine, originally from an Augsburg merchant family, was a lovely and educated woman, the quintessential ideal of renaissance beauty. She met Ferdinand at Katherine’s castle in Breznice where the two lovers later secretly married and where their first child was born. With several other children born, it was impossible to keep the marriage secret. Ferdinand managed to have his wife officially recognized only after surrendering his children’s rights to the Habsburg throne. To make the commute to his wife shorter, he built for her the famous Star Summer Palace in Prague’s Bila Hora. The couple, however, ended up moving to Tirol in Austria. Katherine of Loksany, their closest friend and loyal defender of their unequal but happy marriage, followed them there.

The Jilska 2 project is located in the heart of the historic city centre, on the corner of Jilska and Skorepka street. It is surrounded by some of Prague’s most famous monuments and sought after restaurants, bars and shops. Jilska II represents a calmed atmosphere in an accessible part of town at a sufficient distance from the crowds admiring the wonders of historic Prague. One has to only walk less than five minutes and turn the corner to find oneself suddenly on the Old Town Square. The Charles Bridge, the Jewish Quarter, the historic Bethlehem Chapel, National Theater and the Estates Theater are all only minutes away and so is the best shopping in the city: Parizska Street, Na Prikope, Wenceslas Square, and the Republic Square.

On the ground floor and underground, Project Jilska II reserved a space of approximately 400 sqm for commercial purposes. Bi-level units may be modified to create one larger floor and thanks to four entrances, they can be divided into four separate spaces.

Included in the offer of the Residential Palace Jilska II is the apartment that used to be home of Max Brod’s family before WWI. It was here where the famous writer, Franz Kafka, first met his future fiancée Felice Bauer and later celebrated his second engagement to her. The prestigious space that witnessed the fateful meeting that led to the ardent love correspondence later published as Letters to Felice, can be found on the third floor and is comprised of a three bedroom apartment with a private balcony and total space of 150m2 with the option for additional square meters.

Jilska II offers 14 units in various sizes and floor plans from studios to a six bedroom penthouse. All units have at their disposal an assigned storage space in the basement and a parking spot on the underground floors of the building. Some apartments feature a balcony, not to mention magnificent views of Prague’s panorama from the units on the upper floors. Each apartment is a unique original that respects the building’s historic character and at the same time allows for modern design solutions. Upon request, it is possible to interconnect individual units and customize their set up based on client’s wishes and needs. Future residents have the opportunity to take advantage of a full design service from several leading international experts.

Jilska II is the first residential development in the Old Town to incorporate a fully automated and Intelligent Smart Home System in each apartment. This will allow centralized control of all electric components of the apartments including temperature regulation, multimedia, audio, lighting, security, and commercial electronics. The intelligent controls will also be accompanied by manual controls for the resident’s convenience. The system offers a unique combination controlled through one source for all electrical system, central system, security, audio – video and commercial electronics.

This system will also be cost saving for the homeowner – An advantage of the smart home system is its efficient use and saving of energy. The client has the option of setting and regulating each of the functions based on his actual needs from any location with a Wifi or data signal. Heating, AC, lights, curtains, security system, and others can all be controlled remotely before arriving or after leaving the apartment.

Each unit will be fitted with a communication panel connected to an online reception. A specially trained concierge will be available 24 hours a day, ready to assist with both simple and more complicated issues of everyday life.

Thanks to the Combilift parking system, the building will offer the rare option of in-house parking spots in the underground garage with its own signature logo of the residence. The system is based on horizontal and vertical movement of individual parking platforms. The entrance into the garage from Jilska street will be designed like the coverings of the neighboring commercial display cases and will not disturb the original exterior.

To schedule a private appointment, please email caleb@coastcapitalpartners.net