Grand Hotel Evropa was purchased by a company from the Julius Meinl group

Prague - The Art Nouveau Grand Hotel Evropa at Prague's Wenceslas Square has been purchased by a firm that is part of the Austrian group Julius Meinl from businessman Václav Skala. The sale of the hotel formerly known as Šroubek includes not only the historically protected building but also a project for a new building to be constructed in the courtyard. The transaction amount has not been disclosed. This was reported today by Hospodářské noviny (HN).

The hotel is currently closed, and its historic section is awaiting renovation. A new building is also set to be constructed in the courtyard. The expected opening date for the hotel after the renovation is 2019, the newspaper writes. It will return to operation as a five-star hotel, said HN Nadine Gilles, director of the development company Prague Prime Home Management, which is under the family company Julius Meinl, and also a managing director of the company Vaclavske 25, which is the official owner of the building. The hotel will be operated by a world-renowned brand that will be new to the Czech market.

The company Vaclavske 25 intends to invest hundreds of millions of crowns into the project. According to Gilles, the main construction work is planned to begin in the second half of this year. Thanks to the extension, the number of rooms will grow from around 90 to approximately 160, with additional conference spaces for 210 people, a wellness center, and a panoramic restaurant with a terrace on the top floor. The nine-story extension in the shape of an oval has previously been criticized by the civic association Klub Za starou Prahu.

The hotel was built in 1872 by architect Josef Schulz in the Neo-Renaissance style. After a reconstruction in 1889, it was remodeled from 1903 to 1905 in the style of geometric Art Nouveau. In 1924, the hotel was purchased by restaurateur Karel Šroubek, after whom it was named.

Before the war, the hotel was known worldwide for its Art Nouveau decor as well as its renowned cuisine and first-class service. At that time, it housed British businessman Nicholas Winton, who managed the rescue of Jewish children from Nazism from there. In 1951, the hotel was nationalized and renamed Grand Hotel Evropa. After 1989, it was returned to its original owners.