Magnum Palace is a multi-purpose building located at the corner of Orlí, Divadelní, and Benešova streets. Its distinctive shape makes it immediately noticeable, while the architects ensured it integrates naturally into the surrounding urban fabric. The new mixed-use building offers retail and office spaces and includes forty underground parking spaces across two basement levels. Magnum Palace is the winning project of an architectural competition launched by the investor in February 2006.
The building stands on a gentle slope at the eastern edge of the historic city centre, in front of the Měnínská Gate. Originally, a smaller 1840s house occupied this site, replaced at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries by a rental building that stood until 1944, when it was irreversibly damaged and demolished. Construction of Magnum Palace on the resulting plot began in February 2008. The design creates a logical continuation of the historical development of the immediate surroundings, following early 20th-century buildings and connecting to the functionalist Morava Palace. The project responds both to the older structures and to the modern metallic and glass building of the General Health Insurance Company on Benešova Street.
The building’s visual expression is dominated by large green-tinted glass surfaces, combined with metallic grey aluminium frames and light ochre granite cladding. Details at the Benešova Street entrances and the Orlí Street vehicle access include enamelled glass elements. The elevated corner section, known as the glass tower, is intentionally designed to echo the glass dome of Morava Palace and similar features of the ČSOB bank building on Česká Street. The angled glass corner creates a deliberate sense of tension within the otherwise calm façade.
Beyond its architectural design, Magnum Palace emphasizes intelligent building technologies. Its energy-efficient concept minimises operating costs. Vertical circulation is provided by a staircase, complemented by a pair of glass elevators within a partially glazed shaft. Outdoor terraces on each floor offer spaces for relaxation.
The seven-storey building, with two recessed upper floors, primarily accommodates offices and shops. The first two floors house retail spaces, the next three floors are offices, and the two top floors contain studios with full facilities and private terraces. Early tenants included Café Flambée, Wüstenrot, Komerční banka, the Diobe Dental Clinic, and the law firm Paroulek, Zrůstek & Lůdl.
