Repair of the upper part of Wenceslas Square will begin in 2020 or 2021

Prague - The repair of the upper part of Prague's Wenceslas Square could start in 2020 or 2021. The costs are preliminarily estimated at 1.4 to 1.7 billion crowns. This was stated today by Prague councilor Jan Wolf (KDU-ČSL/Trojkoalice). The square will be renovated according to a project by the Cigler-Marani Architects office from 2005. The specific course of the work has yet to be determined, but the so-called collector will be created underground first, where the engineering networks are located. The reconstruction has already begun in the lower part of the square.

The start of the repair will depend on the speed at which the city obtains the necessary permits and builds the collector for 800 million crowns. "Without those engineering networks and underground work, it cannot logically proceed on the surface," said Wolf.

It is still unclear where the reconstruction will start, whether from the tram tracks towards the museum or vice versa. The issue of the expressway and the space between the statue of Saint Wenceslas and the National Museum will not be addressed yet, nor the question of whether trams will return to the square. However, according to Wolf, that will certainly not happen in the next ten to 15 years.

The square will be paved again like in the lower part, the greenery will also be restored, and the space for pedestrians will be expanded. Contrary to the original plan, a reservoir for retaining rainwater will be added under the square, which will subsequently be used for watering the greenery. "It should be approximately in the middle part of the square, but we will assign the project documentation, so it will only become apparent during the design where it would be most suitable," said councilor Jana Plamínková (STAN/Trojkoalice).

Work in the lower part of the square began last year, and engineering networks are currently being relocated here. Wolf stated that the first visible changes on the surface should be noticeable in the second half of this year. The city is now selecting a quarry from where it will bring stone for repaving the square.

Wenceslas Square is 682 meters long and approximately 60 meters wide. It was originally named Horse Market and was established by a decree of Charles IV. In the 19th century, it was first renamed Wenceslas Square, and later to its current name, Wenceslas Square.