Repairs to the Main Train Station in Prague must continue according to the heritage conservationists

Prague - According to heritage conservationists, the historic building of the Main Train Station in Prague is not in a state of emergency. However, some of its elements are dilapidated, and if they are not maintained further, they are at risk of destruction. A potential change of tenant, according to them, could jeopardize already negotiated additional repairs. Andrea Holasová from the Prague office of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) told ČTK today. The station is being renovated by Grandi Stazioni, which has it on lease.

The Railway Infrastructure Administration (SŽDC) stated today that it will terminate the lease agreement because the company is likely to miss the deadline by which the heritage-protected building was to be repaired. The lease agreement will expire on October 16. The company is requesting an extension of the contract and stated that it has invested 1.2 billion crowns into the reconstruction, which it will seek to recover from SŽDC along with lost profits from subsequent years of leasing.

Grandi Stazioni has been renovating the station premises since December 2006. In the entrance hall, which is part of the building from the second half of the 20th century, it has built a new check-in center, escalators, elevators, and a number of shops. In exchange for the station’s reconstruction, it gained the opportunity to commercially utilize the building for 30 years from Czech Railways.

Last spring, it requested an extension for the restoration of the Art Nouveau building designed by architect Josef Fanty, which was to be completed this October. It repaired and reopened Fant’s café in the area under the dome of the historic building. The reconstruction of the side wings of the building and the outer facade remains, which the company started working on this spring.

Holasová stated today that the NPÚ's communication with the investor has been very good and correct so far. According to her, the historic building of the station is structurally sound. The most endangered parts are the stucco and stone decorations, the cornices, and other soft decorative elements on the front facade facing the main street, particularly the two side wings. They are the most neglected compared to the main central part, where valuable elements, plasters, stuccos, window and door fillings, and interior furnishings have been meticulously reconstructed and restored in public spaces for many years.

"There has also been significant progress on the facade of the central part, and we managed to stop the leakage into the towers," she stated. The side wings and their non-public spaces urgently need repairs, especially the director’s offices on the upper floors and the plasters and stuccos on the ground floor. The decorations on any building "fall" first and are difficult to replace - if they are destroyed, they can only be replaced with replicas. This is the first phase of the monument's deterioration, and once the load-bearing structures are exposed, they will also begin to deteriorate. "Action needs to be taken while it is still possible to repair the mentioned elements, not wait for an emergency state," concluded Holasová.