Ten years after the blob's failure, library management is betting on a different solution

Prague - The glory that came with the announcement of the results of the international architectural competition and the return of the renowned architect Jan Kaplický to his homeland ten years ago ended in failure. The National Library faced criticism for allegedly poorly defined competition, and the bold proposal became the subject of disputes among politicians who had long since left public life. Prague ended up with neither a new library nor a significant piece of contemporary architecture that public administration would have been involved in creating. In the capital city, apart from the technical library, no public cultural building was erected. And librarians, although the management of the National Library does not officially say so, are once again talking about the need for a new building.

The then-director of the National Library, Vlastimil Ježek, aimed to address the spatial shortcomings of the institution with a new building. However, the competition, endorsed by the International Union of Architects, ended up in court because the rules changed during its course. The jury defended itself by stating that the competition organizer could not imagine ensuring that the books in the underground storage would withstand all hazards, as Kaplický ultimately proposed. However, the new building was mainly buried by politicians and officials who found the criticism of the blob useful in their political battles.

The project cost Ježek his position, and his successors opted for a politically uncontroversial solution, namely the costly reconstruction of Klementinum and the expansion of the storage facility on the outskirts of Prague. While the storage facility offers sufficient capacity for book storage, it poses an obstacle for the library's active operation. Books must be transported to readers at Klementinum, with over 250,000 books transported annually between central Prague and Hostivař, which librarians criticize.

Last year, the National Library created a document proposing several options for the library's future operation after the major revitalization of Klementinum, which will not be completed before 2019. The projections again consider a new building in the broader center of Prague. Petr Kroupa, tasked with managing the National Library, previously told ČTK regarding his predecessors' decision to replace the new building with the completion of the central storage facility: "The whole system is wrong; surely everyone can see that." However, he will leave the decision on the new building to his successor. Today, he stated that the priority now is the revitalization of Klementinum and the completion and reconstruction of the existing storage facility.

In Prague, apart from the National Technical Library, which was quietly built during the disputes over Kaplický's blob, no public building for cultural purposes has been constructed. There has been talk for years about a new concert hall, a new building for the National Gallery, or a building for the Slav Epic. Primarily, however, the state invests only in the reconstruction of buildings predominantly from the 19th century that house national cultural institutions. If new cultural spaces are being created, they are backed by the private sector. Outside of Prague, the situation is different, but in Prague, only a few storage facilities have been built with state money, which cannot be considered public buildings and are mostly not architecturally significant.

The competition for the National Library building was one of the few public competitions in the cultural field held in Prague. The Czech Chamber of Architects criticizes the fact that initiators of buildings or reconstructions do not resort to them. According to the chamber, the competition is the most effective tool for preparing a transparent selection and saving public money. However, last year saw the most competitions announced in the past 25 years, reported Zuzana Hošková, spokeswoman for the chamber, to ČTK.

There were 54 competitions for the modification of public spaces, territorial studies, or spaces for educational and state institutions. Among the investors were cities, regions, the Prague Zoo, and state museums. Despite the significant increase, architectural competitions remain a marginal form of public procurement. In the overall volume of announced investments, they represent only one percent.