<Bém> Putting a library in the Congress Center is an interesting idea. </Bém>

Prague - The Prague mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) called the idea of placing the new National Library in the Congress Center very interesting. However, he believes it is necessary to wait to see how the plan to build a new building in Letná according to Jan Kaplický's design turns out. It is now in the hands of the Office for the Protection of Competition, the Ministry of Culture, and the National Library, Bém told ČTK today.
According to him, a discussion about a new solution can take place only after it becomes clear that preparations for construction in Letná cannot continue. Bém stated that the former Palace of Culture would be spatially sufficient for the library, and the same would apply to transport accessibility. "If there is interest, I am ready to participate and conduct economic and legal studies and feasibility studies," Bém remarked.
The idea of placing the library in the Congress Center was proposed by the director of the National Gallery, Milan Knížkák. Bém had a brief conversation with him on Monday. "The solution is very interesting. Giving 'Pakulu' a new facade and new shape and addressing its function for the future is very tempting," the mayor stated. However, to seriously say that it is possible, the relevant studies would first need to be developed, he emphasized.
The Congress Center has been in debt since its reconstruction before the International Monetary Fund meeting in 2000. It currently owes about two billion crowns, with the bonds due in 2013. The state guarantees them, which has the property mortgaged. Bém indicated that converting the building into a library would kill three birds with one stone: it would resolve debts, improve the building's appearance, and address the purpose of its use.
Architect Jaroslav Trávníček, who participated in the construction, is enthusiastic about the idea of using the Congress Center for the library. According to him, the building allows for easy changes in layout and also has enormous space - twice the size of Kaplický's design. According to the architect, the conversion would cost up to three billion crowns. "But this has to be divided in half; one half would be for the National Library, and the other half for the reconstruction of a building that has been a part of Prague's skyline for 30 years, whether we like it or not," Trávníček said on Monday.
However, according to the director of the Congress Center, Michal Kárník, converting the building into a library would be very construction-intensive, more likely impossible. "It is a functioning facility that brings in money. Converting it into a library would be uneconomical," Kárník believes. He said that just the removal of the shell would cost about one billion crowns. Additionally, conversions are always more expensive than the construction of a new building, the director added.