Opposite to "Prašná Brána" (Powder Gate) and Obecní Dům, there is the Czech National Bank. The building has a monumental facade built between 1935 and 1942 following Czech architect František Roith´s design. It was originally used by the Živnostenská Banka. Following the Communist Revolution and the nationalization of private property, it became home of the "Státní Banka Československá"
(Czechoslovak State Bank), predecessor of today's Czech Central Bank. The building has an international style, it is a massive, impressive construction. When first built, it used to be the most modern and best-equipped banking institution in Prague. The front is dominated by a bronze statue of the prodigy with torch and the Czech Lion by sculptor Antonín Popp.
