The most suitable place for a concert hall is Štvanice

Prague - A working team composed of experts led by Prague's mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS) agreed that the most suitable place for building a concert hall in Prague is Štvanice Island. Roman Bělor, the director of the Prague Spring festival, told ČTK. However, according to Bělor, discussions about the long-discussed construction of the hall will continue for many years to come.
     The mayor previously admitted in an interview with ČTK that it is unlikely that a hall will be built in Prague during this electoral term. Prague's politicians' mandates end next year. Thus, it will mainly depend on the future political representation of Prague.
     "Štvanice is a location that currently seems to us the most suitable," Bělor said. "I would hope that the hall could be opened for the centenary of the founding of the first Czechoslovak Republic, that is, in 2018," he added.
     Last year Prague announced an architectural competition for the restoration of Štvanice. However, the concert hall is not defined in the competition conditions, Bělor admitted. "At the time the competition was being prepared, there was still no agreement on the location of the hall on Štvanice," he explained. Nevertheless, according to unofficial information, some authors of studies are proposing the placement of the concert hall on the island.
     If Prague decides to implement the hall, according to Bělor, it will be necessary to announce an architectural competition for its design. The difficult accessibility of the site, the repair of the Hlávka Bridge, and above all the financing of the construction will also need to be addressed. The project is estimated to cost between two to three billion crowns. However, Prague does not have such investment. The mayor has previously mentioned the possibility of a PPP (Public Private Partnership) project, in which a private investor would participate.
     A purely concert hall has not been built in Prague for a hundred years, since the opening of the Municipal House in 1912. According to the mayor, the metropolis needs a multifunctional concert hall.

The following locations were mentioned in proposals for the placement of the concert hall. However, most of them are very problematic for various reasons:

- Vltavská metro station
- southern part of Štvanice Island
- Florenc - former Těšnov station
- Florenc - space above the metro station
- space above the railway tracks at Masaryk Station
- land between Wilsonova and Washingtonova Streets opposite the State Opera
- new construction on the site of the existing Congress Center
- Klárov
- Karlovo náměstí
- Palackého náměstí under Emauzy
- Letná (Špejchar)
- Vítězné náměstí
- Smíchov
- Bubny station along Argentinská Street
- Rohanský island
- Libeň - bus station
- Sluneční náměstí