A cultural campus will be built in Prague's Zbraslav, the city hall is looking for designers

Prague – The district of Prague-Zbraslav is preparing the construction of a cultural campus that will include new buildings for the elementary art school (ZUŠ) and the local library, as well as the renovation of the so-called Town Hall. The ČTK was informed by the mayor of the district, Kateřina Pavlíková (independent for Independent Zbraslav). The town hall recently announced a tender with an estimated value of 15 million crowns excluding VAT for the development of the project for the first part of the plan, which will be the construction of the ZUŠ.

The campus will be located in the lower part of Zbraslav near the river and the square. The plan originally arose from the need to modernize the ZUŠ and to create adequate spaces for the local library; given the state of the existing buildings, the town hall gradually expanded the project.

"Solving key issues has led us to a conceptual approach to the area, which, through gradual implementation, will bring new elements to the territory in the form of a multi-purpose community hall for various public performances, debates, or presentations, as well as the future establishment of a museum mapping the rich history of our district," said the mayor.

The project, based on a previously developed architectural and urban study, now considers the construction of a new building for the ZUŠ and an additional new building for the library, where a community hall for 100 people will be created on the ground floor. The existing building of the Town Hall, which currently houses the library, gallery, and ceremony hall, will undergo renovation, and in the future, it will also include a museum for the district.

The town hall is currently, according to the mayor, completing design work for the demolition of redundant buildings and has recently announced a tender for the project of the first part of the campus, which will be the ZUŠ building. "The task of the designer will be to obtain a building permit by the middle of next year and prepare the contracting documentation for the construction," Pavlíková stated. She added that according to the district's plans, children are expected to start schooling in the new school in the 2026/27 school year.

The exact costs for the construction of the ZUŠ, according to the mayor, will emerge from the design work. "Based on the developed study, we estimate that the construction costs for the first phase will be approximately 100 million crowns excluding VAT. Currently, we have a grant from the magistrate of the capital city of Prague, which covers about 25 percent of the costs of this first phase," she reported. Part of the money will then be paid by the town hall from its own budget, and they are also negotiating other sources of financing. "For the other phases of the project, a similar approach will be taken," concluded Pavlíková.

Prague-Zbraslav is one of the smaller municipal districts on the southern edge of the capital. It is home to approximately 10,000 residents and includes Zbraslav and Lahovice.