The historic protected building of the train station in Plzeň has undergone reconstruction for one billion

Plzeň - The heritage-protected building of the main train station in Plzeň, built in 1907, will open to the public on Friday after nearly three years of reconstruction costing one billion crowns. The entire building, through which up to 20,000 people pass daily, has a new roof, façade, interiors including windows and doors, improved services for passengers, and new barrier-free access. Completion work in the public areas will last until the end of January, and the entire construction will be completed at the end of March, said Nela Eberl Friebová, spokesperson for the investor's Railway Administration (SŽ), to ČTK today.

"The upper hall at the level of the platforms will also be temporarily accessible. The commercial spaces will be primarily finished here. A KFC outlet, the very first at Czech train stations, will already open to passengers in a limited mode," the spokesperson stated. The fast-food chain KFC, leading to an outdoor terrace, is located in one historical hall, while a drugstore will occupy another. Passengers will also have access to a bookstore, café, and fresh food store. In the lower hall, from April, there will be a pizzeria, newsstand, fast food outlet, and in the area in front of the station, there will be municipal police, a hairdresser, and a flower shop.

There are escalators leading from the entrance to the upper hall, supplemented by elevators. "There are new ticket counters on the ground floor, modern public restrooms, offices, and sleeping quarters for railway workers, as well as departure boards in both the main and upper halls," said the chief engineer of the SŽ construction Petr Toman. A surveillance system with direct monitoring is being completed throughout the building.

The main dome and two smaller side domes have a new copper covering. Original elements of the lower hall were supplemented according to period photographs, such as replicas of stained glass, and academic painters restored historical frescoes. The floor covering an area of 800 m² is paved with ceramic replicas of tiles from 1907, said David Semelka from the company SPO.

According to the general director of SŽ Jiří Svoboda, the goal of the construction was also to improve the internal arrangement of the building. "We can utilize spaces that have not yet been used," he said. According to Svoboda, a functional modern train station is a huge opportunity for the city's development. Minister of Transport Martin Kupka and Svoboda believe that thanks to the diverse range of shops, it will attract more passengers to the railway. The building will only be closed at night from 01:30 to 04:00, from the arrival of the last train from Prague to the departure of the first connection to the capital.

"I view the decision to open the main hall as soon as possible as clearly positive. Particularly considering that relatively severe frosts are expected in the coming days," Kupka told ČTK. He stated that the reconstruction was carried out with great sensitivity and successfully revealed the original Art Nouveau layers, restoring the stucco decorations.

Since 1907, the building has not undergone a major reconstruction. Only after World War II did the main dome need to be repaired after being hit by a bomb. The construction, overseen by heritage conservationists, was complicated because it is a historical object.

More than half of the costs, currently reaching 1.03 billion crowns, will be covered by EU grants within the National Recovery Plan.

In recent years, a complete modernization of the extensive railway yard of the main train station has been carried out, costing billions of crowns.