Artistic Design of the Entrance Ramp to the Prior Department Store

A section of the monumental entrance ramp that links to the connecting building is a “stone carpet” created according to a graphic design by Ivan Matušík. The artistically conceived stone platform is based on colour contrast and vertical alternation of two materials arranged adjacently in a geometric composition that is dominated by angular patterns. The design is disrupted by a circular segment at its centre that incorporates the Prior logo. For many years, the roof of the building featured a rotating advertising mast with the Prior logo (a triangular canopy set within a circle, as designed by Peter Šomský in 1968). Today, the original logo is visible only in the form of a pavement imprint. 

During implementation, Matušík's design was adapted to suit the dimensions of the ramp. For example, the central Prior logo was enlarged and the edges were bevelled. The composition, colour scheme, and formation of Matušík’s graphic design could partly have inspired the work of Lousy Auber, Hotel Kyjev Deconstructed, with which it shares several similar features (this work has its own entry in the database). 

The imposing entrance ramp and its adjoining staircase are distinguished by rounded, sculptural ends to the handrails, and by brackets that feature circular cutouts. The complex is characterised by its balance, grandeur, and high-quality Spiš travertine stone cladding. This striking architectural element was created beside the connecting building of the Prior department store (also known as Prior II) as part of the third and final phase of construction of the building complex on Kamenné Square. 

NB

Research status as of 08. 08. 2024.


Authorship


Years

  • 1978 – implementation

Type

Material

stone, Spiš travertine

Technique

cutting, assembling, tiling, polishing

Dimensions

unidentified

Inscription

none

Condition

  • preserved, not maintained

Registration

  • Located in Monument Zone Central Urban Area, Bratislava.
  • Objekt obchodného domu Prior tzv. spojovacia budova je NKP zapísaná v ÚZPF pod č. 13050/2.

Owner

  • unidentified

Administrator

  • unidentified

Address

1 Kamenné Square

Location details

entrance ramp

Plot number

8590/4

GPS

48.1453830, 17.1139250

Other works in the area

Béla Bartók Commemorative Plaque

Ladislav Snopek 1971

Prior Department Store Cornerstone

Ivan Matušík 1964 – 1968

Clock with Chimes

Jaroslav Kočiš 1968 – 1969

King Reaches for the Moon

František (Fero) Guldan 2000