The largest mural in the Czech Republic is in an industrial park in Cheb. It will cover an area of over 6,000 square meters

“The combination of an industrial park and mural art is a great and attractive way to bring art to public space. That is why we founded the Accolade Industrial Art project, which has already contributed to the completion of nine murals in our industrial parks throughout the Czech Republic and Poland. With this jubilee project, we wanted to pay tribute to the historically neglected (perhaps a bit unfairly) city of Cheb, which has undergone great development over the last decade,” said Martina Nová, Accolade Associate Director. 

“In general, the architecture of industrial buildings adheres to requirements for functionality and sustainability. I am thus truly happy that we can break down stereotypes in this regard in connection with the mural in Panattoni Park Cheb. Consequently, the distribution center project for a leading global brand will become exceptional not only in terms of its scale and technology used, but also in terms of the appearance of its façade,” says Klára Sobotková, Panattoni Regional Development Director. 

One of the walls of a distribution center that is currently under construction for a global fashion chain became a 'canvas' for the mural in Cheb. The total area of this project exceeds a record-high 200,000 square meters. The length of the main façade is 700 meters and the height of the mural reaches 15 meters. Eight different shades of spray paint were used for the painting. 

“We are pleased that the industrial park in Cheb is able to attract established companies of global importance to the region, offering hundreds of new jobs. The fact that it has also become a place for an original work of art, which may even attract interest of visitors from the general public, is an excellent bonus. The silhouette of Cheb’s beautiful historic city center certainly deserves to be immortalized in this manner and, thanks to the mural art, it is on display for all those passing by,” said Jan Vrba, Cheb Mayor. 

Considering the size of the distribution center, the authors of the mural design aimed to come up with a theme that would get anyone’s attention right away, while not appearing aggressive or giving the impression of strictly repetitive elements. “The reliefs on the façade refer to specific buildings found in the Cheb city center, mostly on the main square. The intention was to allow locals, who know Cheb well, to find their favorite buildings here. It is also a sort of an inside joke between the locals and others who are just passing by and do not realize that there are historic buildings of Cheb right in front of them,” said Lucie Parks, the author of the design from the PROJEKTSTUDIO architectural studio. 

A months-long project 

The mural itself took several months to complete. According to the author, it is much longer than usual. The reason for this was the large scale of the entire project. For example, a mural by the same artist painted on a sprinkler room in the nearby Panattoni Park Cheb South industrial park, also owned by the Accolade Group, was completed in less than three weeks. 

First, the whole façade is washed, measured, and protective tape is laid to avoid overspray in areas that need to remain clean. “Getting the design size exactly right for the area is crucial. Fortunately, this façade is made up of regular panels, so we had some reference points. However, with other projects, we actually all do have a tape measure, pencil and a level, and we sketch the design by hand, so we have to be very careful," says ChemiS, the author of the mural, in connection with the teamwork involved in the process. This mural is the fifth for him within industrial parks of the Accolade Group’s portfolio. 

ChemiS is the author of dozens of murals around the world. He became widely known in the Czech Republic with his projects, such as the crying President Masaryk or a Ukrainian girl in a Kharkov bunker on a house in Prague’s Nusle district. In addition to the mural in Cheb, ChemiS also authored paintings in Stříbro, Hořovice, Brno and Panattoni Park Cheb South for Accolade. In case of Brno, the mural design originated from a competition for young creative artists. 

Largest murals in the Czech Republic and the world 

The largest mural in the Czech Republic to date was located on an industrial building near Václav Havel Airport Prague. The large-format painting entitled Cosmos covers an area of more than 5,200 square meters. According to Guinness World Records, the world’s largest mural resides on multiple grain silos in Incheon, west of Seoul, South Korea, with the painted surface covering an area of more than 23,600 square meters. The 95 meters high mural in Calgary, Canada, is also unique, as it is the world’s tallest painted mural.