Šípův model Prahy

Představujeme Vám unikátní ručně malovaný model staré Prahy z let 1826-1837 v měřítku 1:420. Šípův model Prahy je vyroben z papírové lepenky na dřevěné konstrukci  a vytvořil jej pan Rudolf Šíp během 12 let, obsahuje přes dva tisíce budov historického jádra Prahy. Je to kopie slavného Langweilova modelu Prahy, který je vystaven v Muzeu hlavního města Prahy.

We present a unique, hand-painted model of old Prague during the years 1826-1837, at a scale of 1:420. Šípův model of Prague is made of paper cardboard on a wooden construction and was created by Mr. Rudolf Sip. The model contains replicas of over two thousand buildings in the historic centre of Prague, and it is inspired by the famous Langweil model of Prague, which is exhibited in the Museum of the City of Prague.

Mr. Rudolf Šíp (a technical officer) was born in Dresden, Germany (September 3, 1906) and died in Prague (December 19, 1977). He spent most of his life in Vinohrady, Prague. Mr. Šíp liked to wander through the streets of Prague and he admired the beautiful city very much. He often walked around Prague with his granddaughters, Kacenka and Alenka, and showed them various historical sights while explaining their history and telling them many stories about the old buildings. Once he went with them to the Museum of the City of Prague to look at the Langweil model of Prague. His granddaughter, Kacenka, asked her grandfather to make houses like these for her dolls. Initially, Mr. Šíp built just houses for his granddaughters, but after some time he began to seriously build a model of Prague by Langweil, using the available maps and publications. The family started referring to this model as just "small houses". Compared to the Langweil model, the Šípův model is built on a larger scale - 1:420. Mr. Rudolf Šíp devoted almost 12 years of his life to the model's construction until his sudden death in 1977.

After Mr. Šíp's death the model was stored at his family's home. The hand-painted model had never been shown to the public, so the family decided to do it for him 33 years after his death. First they cleaned the model and compiled all the parts, as it is composed as a puzzle. The whole family and a lot of their friends helped because it was very difficult to do. They spent many days putting the model together. After the model was restored and put together, they created a website for the model, where they put a lot of important information, pictures and a logo. At the same time, they wrote a short story about their famous grandfather and about his model. The family created more then 2000 invitations and sent them to various institutions, celebrities and the public. They found space in a beautiful castle near Prague to exhibit the model. After receiving permission they opened the exhibit in August 2010. The event was broadcasted on a major Czech TV channel and it was a great success. Many people became interested in the model and wrote many beautiful letters and messages to the family. Today the model is in one of the largest museum in the centre of Prague. The whole family is very proud that they managed to successfully honour Mr. Šíp's memory and his hard work.