An interview with Milada Karasová:
Milada Karasová, founder of the legendary agency Czechoslovakia Models, discovered faces such as Eva Herzigová and Tereza Maxová. Few people know the fashion world as well as she does, yet her heart also belongs to the places that shaped her memories – Prague’s passages. As part of the Prague Passages project, she became the patron of the Koruna Passage. And that is precisely what we talked about.
The Koruna Passage was on my way to school. I always stopped by – at the Korunka self-service buffet for a strawberry milkshake or potato salad with a bread roll. One had to be quick because the so-called “hungriles,” the scavengers, were standing around, and it was fun to watch them. How agile they were, finishing off leftover food as soon as someone turned away or went to get a drink. It had an atmosphere that cannot be replicated.
Once, one of my partners took me on our first date right to Koruna. He wanted to find out whether those “demanding mannequins” would go to a buffet too. I went. And we stayed together for ten years.
Passages were a natural part of the city. My mother used to tell me that before the war, there were public baths in the basement. I remember a cinema, and upstairs there was an international business. In the nineties, Koruna transformed – a Megastore opened featuring music and CDs, but also a restaurant that didn’t appeal to me. To me, it lost its magic because of that. I think people would welcome a return to a buffet like Korunka used to be.
Definitely. They are practical when it rains, but above all, they have an atmosphere. When they host stylish shops, cafés, and places to meet – that is when they come alive. It is just important that landlords think about the concept, not only the rent amount.
Passages are like women – they have their charm, sometimes mysterious, other times practical. If I were to describe the Koruna Passage as a model, she would be unique, friendly, with a lot to offer – and above all, photogenic. Because we shop and consume with our eyes.
It is my hometown. I come from Karlín – nowadays a beautiful neighborhood. Paradoxically, the 2002 floods helped it get a new lease on life. For me, Karlín represents nostalgia, a beautiful childhood, and memories of Karl, the postal horse I used to feed on my way to kindergarten. Karlín is love. I cannot imagine living anywhere else.
I love passages. I root for them. I am happy they are being restored. The Prague Passages project makes sense – it helps preserve their identity, give them visibility, and bring life back to them. And that is important.
For me, Koruna was a place where small everyday stories unfolded. Whether it was a date in the buffet or watching people at the self-service counter – all of that formed its soul.
I would say: “Come take a walk through a place where history meets the present. Where you can shop, relax, and meet friends. Where there is true atmosphere.”
For them to be lively, they must be accessible – price-wise and technology-wise. Young people need internet, clubs, and meeting spots. Once the passages offer them that, they will discover them anew.
Milada Karasová is proof that elegance
is not just a matter of fashion,
but also of one’s relationship with the city,
its places, and its stories.
Passages like Koruna deserve to be talked about
– and lived in – once again.
