Café Podobrazy, Tržnice

The legendary café and club space Café Podobrazy, a place for discussions, creativity, and contemplation, originally operated in the Governor’s Palace on Moravské náměstí.

In 2000, a group of students opened a café. After hosting hundreds of concerts, exhibitions, and ten editions of the Spring in the Courtyard festival, they had to leave in 2013 when the building underwent a major reconstruction. Today, Café Podobrazy is housed in the former Dům potravin (House of Food), now known as Tržnice at Zelný trh.

The former Dům potravin was built as a modern grocery and vegetable market, later expanding to sell various household goods, textiles, clothing, and footwear. Public restrooms were located in the basement. The building, designed by the architects Vilém Zavřel, Emil Hruška, and Ivan Ráž, was constructed between 1948 and 1950 and officially completed on 15 August 1950. However, by the late 1990s, the structure had deteriorated to such an extent that it had to be closed and underwent a complete renovation, which was not completed until mid-2017. The refurbishment, led by the architect Michal Palaščák, removed low-quality later additions, reopened the covered passage on the ground floor, and reconnected Zelný trh with Starobrněnská and Radniční streets.

The four-storey building consists of two main volumes: projecting glazed retail halls on the first and second floors, linked to a simple, one-storey taller cubic wing extending towards Starobrněnská and Mečová streets. The dense rhythm of large ribs separating the vertical window bands across the floors, combined with the arched curvature of the suspended façade, gives the main frontage a highly dynamic character.

Café Podobrazy prides itself on high-quality drinks and small dishes, sourced primarily from “in-house” suppliers. Guests can also enjoy outdoor seating on Radniční square.