The municipality plans to renovate buildings in Mariánské náměstí

Prague - The Prague city hall plans to modify the buildings at Mariánské náměstí. The reconstruction of the Clam-Gallas Palace and the New Town Hall will cost hundreds of millions of crowns. This was stated to ČTK by the councilor for culture, Milan Richter. On Tuesday, the city council approved the plan to modify the buildings at Mariánské náměstí, and the economic administration department will now announce an architectural competition for the designer.
    The modification of the Clam-Gallas Palace, which was built in the early 18th century according to the design of Vienna's court architect Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, aims to open this Baroque monument to the public and find new cultural and social uses for it. According to Richter, the project should also solve the connection between the palace and the nearby New Town Hall. Currently, the Archive of the City of Prague is located here, and after the flood in 2002, the offices of the city hall departments were relocated to part of the building. A condition for starting the reconstruction of the palace is their relocation to new premises.
    One of the city hall's plans is to establish a museum in the palace's premises, where historical furniture and artworks should be exhibited. People would also be able to view restored interiors and rare stucco decorations. The remaining spaces could serve for further exhibitions, concerts, or lectures. Exhibition and lecture halls could also be created in the original stables and coach houses, and an information center is planned for the courtyard.
    Along with the reconstruction of the Clam-Gallas Palace, the city hall wants to modify its seat in the New Town Hall. "Apart from the new facade, the building has not been renovated for decades," Richter said. He stated that the technological background is outdated. The entrance areas of the building should primarily be repaired, and its ground floor should be made accessible to the public. An exhibition space for the presentation of the city and a multifunctional hall with background facilities should be created in the building.
    Richter anticipates that the costs for the reconstruction of both historical buildings will amount to hundreds of millions of crowns. "The amount of necessary funds should emerge from the proposal of the designer. That will then be evaluated by the council," Richter stated. Due to the high costs, he believes that the repairs will have to be divided into several stages. The councilor does not expect the start of specific work to occur earlier than in three quarters of a year to a year.
    There is also talk of the reconstruction of another significant building at Mariánské náměstí, the Clementinum. The National Library, which is located there, has already commissioned studies for the reconstruction of the Clementinum. One of them, for example, considers the demolition of the entrance to Platnéřská Street or the roofing of the courtyard.
    Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) also recently proposed to combine the reconstruction of the Clementinum with a potential change in traffic in the area of Křižovnická and Platnéřská Streets, which would allow for more openness of the spaces of the Clementinum and Mariánské náměstí in the future.