The competition for the transformation of Victory Square will be announced by Prague later this year

Prague - The capital city is likely to announce an architectural competition for the future appearance of Victory Square in Prague 6 this year before Christmas. The deputy mayor for urban development, Petra Kolínská (Green Party/Troika Coalition), said this to reporters today. In preparing the competition, the Prague leadership and the preparatory team want to draw inspiration from the transformation of Trafalgar Square in London.

In the two-round competition, participants will present their vision for the square, which should make it a more welcoming place for residents. This is complicated by the fact that the so-called "Kulaťák" is heavily traffic-congested and is located at a historic intersection. In the future, areas where people can sit should be added to the square. The competition only addresses public spaces, not what will be built on undeveloped plots in private ownership.

Kolínská, together with the deputy mayor of Prague 6, Martin Polách (ANO), recently visited London for inspiration, which had faced a similar problem with Trafalgar Square years ago. Although, according to Polách, they are different in many respects, the original form of the London square shares traffic congestion and unfriendliness to pedestrians with Victory Square. "Victory Square has long not functioned as either an intersection or a square," the deputy mayor stated.

"We will try to ensure that someone from the team involved in the transformation of Trafalgar Square is part of the jury that will evaluate the proposals," Kolínská stated. In preparing the competition, they will aim to draw from people's suggestions and will set indicators in advance, based on which they will evaluate the project's success.

The transformation of the entire area is also related to the plan to build a bypass around the square, which is intended to connect Evropská and Svatovítská streets. The competition brief accounts for its construction; however, according to Polách, construction will not start before 2020. The current city council leadership has pushed for a reworking of the original project, which called for two lanes in each direction. The existing proposal of one plus one lane must now undergo environmental impact assessment (EIA) again. This is expected to happen next year, followed by territorial and building procedures.

The square is not completed structurally. A discussion was previously sparked mainly by the planned construction of the so-called Ice Bear, which was to completely change the face of the square. The project was ultimately abandoned. However, there will still be construction in the gap; the city hall and the investor signed a memorandum some time ago, which also includes the withdrawal of mutual lawsuits. The investor commits to respecting the height of the surrounding buildings.

Victory Square was created in 1925 and now several roads lead into it - Evropská, Čs. armády, Jugoslávských partyzánů, Svatovítská, and Dejvická. Throughout its history, it has borne several names, including from 1952 to 1990 when it was called October Revolution Square.