Cubism

Cubism derives its name from the French term "le cube"  or cube, a shape the entire style is based on, its is trying to create a building from  a composition of  cube like and geometrical, that is why purely cubism building in Prague have no curves what so ever.

While Cubism in painting was made famous by Pablo Picasso,

applying Cubism to  architecture it taught to be a Czech idea. Prague is one of the few cities where you can see Cubist architecture in the historical center.

Along with cubism, there was  another derivative of  of the same style called rondo cubism when it incorporated element of curved shapes .The Legiobank was the first  rondo cubist building, and it went on to spur what would be referred to as a  "national style", mostly used in the interwar period, when the first Czechoslovak Republic was founded, in 1918.

Revivalism II

The more prominent and politically active of these ethnic nations in the Austro-Hungarian empire such as the Czechs, tried to mold out or revive their suppressed national  identities, and some times they used architecture to revive this national sentiment.The Czech nationalist of the time looked back at the reign of Charles IV in the 13th century as the golden era of the Czech kingdom  and therefore used Neo-Gothic architecture as a way of reminding of the past greatness of the Czech state, before it absorbed in the Austro-Hungarian empire 1621.

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Revivalism I

The 19th century is sometimes seen as a directionless crisis in architecture, as this era did not have any dominant architectural style, but rather several competing styles.
When compared to  building boom of the Prague Baroque era (17th and 18th century), and the very expressive and unique style of baroque architecture, there was no other style that could match  the extent of baroque architecture.This prompted the architects of the turn of the century, to start using historical styles, like Neo-Gothic, Neo-Baroque etc.

These revivalist architectural styles were used because they gave the building a flavor of heritage and dignity in a traditional fashion but with a twist of modernity.

Neo-Gothic or Romanticist styles were particularly popular in Prague from the 1850 till WWI, due to the  political climate of the time.
It was the era before WWI,a time when the Austro-Hungarian empire was being pulled apart by ethnic and political  tension that has arisen between  the myriad of ethnic groups cohabiting  in the decaying empire.

Rococo

Rococo  also known Baroque classicism in Prague spanned from  between the years 1750-1780.

Rococo was a style of Baroque typical in the reign of Empress Maria Theresa.From the mid-17th century Baroque passes from its peak to late stage and then begins to  create a  style which is known for its even richer ornamentation and pastel colors, called  Rococo.

The rich ornamentation of the Archbishops palace a t the Prague castle.

The rich ornamentation of the Archbishops palace a t the Prague castle.
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Rococo has the contours of Baroque, but adds plaster décor and color to make it richer.

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An in some cases Rocco combines  Baroque contours, rich plaster décor, pastel paint and Gold

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As seen on the top of the triangle, Rococo also uses contours that jot out of the façade.

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Rococo is derived from the word rokaj, which means shells.

Mussels or rokaj is a vital ornament, which appears on all of rococo monuments, and that is a kind of fastener.

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