Architect: The goal was to create more space for people in the square

PRAGUE - Creating a larger space for people in Prague's Wenceslas Square was the main goal of the design by Cigler Marani Architects, which won the competition for the future appearance of this area. According to architect Jakub Cigler, Wenceslas Square was not merely a square in the past, but a promenade and boulevard that lived. Currently, life there is subdued.
    "There are narrow sidewalks, there are wide roads, there is a strip of greenery that creates more of a barrier than it enhances the space. We wanted to change all of that," Cigler said today to ČTK.
    His studio's design doubles the width of the sidewalks. It adds two tree-lined alleys to the square. It reduces car traffic to a necessary minimum, for example, for deliveries. "The fourth goal was to put a tram in the space, which represents another dimension of people's movement," noted the architect.
    He is personally convinced that the tram belongs in the square because the metro has not replaced it. It would connect the square with Vinohrady and the Old Town. The design allows for the tram to run the entire length of the square with turns into Jindřišská and Vodičkova streets, and to Na Příkopě and 28. října streets. However, Cigler emphasized that the return of trams to the square was not the essence of the competition. "The final word should not be spoken by the architects," he said.
    According to Cigler, stalls with refreshments, newspapers, and flowers should enrich life in Wenceslas Square. Their number should be lower and their size smaller. "Current stalls are too large," the architect believes.
    However, the architectural design alone will not save Wenceslas Square, according to him. It is also necessary for local shops to be run exclusively by quality tenants with quality goods. "Today it is more of a sore on the face of Prague," assessed the square Cigler.
    He is enthusiastic about the clear victory in the competition, which gathered 29 proposals. Cigler believed that his studio's design would make it to the final four. "That it would be such a victory, I am truly incredibly surprised and thrilled," said the architect. He considers the fact that no second prize was awarded as a manifestation that the jury's opinion matches that of the studio.