55 Falconry

The building is an example of high-quality imported functionalist architecture from the environment of Prague architects. It expressed the spirit of modern times. The Sokol Hall was built in 1931 on the basis of a project by Jozef Franců. It is a representative building of the Sokol in Žilina, which was a physical education and cultural facility. The building was designed as a gymnasium and cinema hall, which later housed the first widescreen cinema in Slovakia. The building was conceived as an intersection of masses, entered through a monumental projecting external staircase, which was covered with an awning during subsequent reconstructions. The centre of the layout is dominated by a hall with the ribbed structure of the former cinema hall. In 2006 the building was partially demolished and a new administration building was added.