The memorandum guarantees cooperation in the repair of Jiřího z Poděbrad Square

Petr Šedivý: fountain United Europe (1981) source: vetrelciavolavky.cz

Prague - The leadership of Prague will sign a memorandum with the municipality of Prague 3 regarding mutual cooperation in the planned revitalization of Jiří z Poděbrady Square. This follows from today's resolution of the city council, as reported by ČTK. The expensive renovation will cost about 90 million crowns. It should begin next year. Some local residents are concerned about the fate of the fountain and the metro vent, which they claim have artistic value.
According to the text of the memorandum, the condition of the square is unsatisfactory. Especially in relation to the dominant feature, which is the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus designed by the well-known Slovenian architect Josip Plečnik. Prague is striving for the monument to be recorded on the UNESCO list. "The current state of the square and its architectural form, which has gradually arisen from inconsequential modifications, absolutely does not correspond to the significance of a national cultural monument," believes Ondřej Rut (Žns), Deputy Mayor of Prague 3.
The Žižkov municipality initially postponed the repairs, wanting to build a huge underground parking garage for 450 cars under the square for 750 million crowns. The current leadership of the municipality, however, has stepped back from this plan and chosen a more economical option. "We have returned to the idea of redesigning the square according to a high-quality project that emerged years ago from an architectural competition," the deputy mayor said earlier.
The architectural design plans to plant the square with mature lindens and plane trees and to pave the area in front of the church. "We would like to create conditions for markets and social events, which have a tradition here," he stated. At the same time, the unsightly entrances to the metro should be modified. Crosswalks will be added so that people can freely cross into the Svatopluk Čech Gardens. Part of the project will also be the reconstruction of the tram tracks on Vinohradská Street.
The project does not include the preservation of the massive metro vent; the fountain is also set to disappear. However, some artists and locals disagree with this. The Žižkov municipality has commissioned the development of project documentation based on the winning proposal from the architectural competition.