The piazza at the Intercontinental is now Miloš Forman Square

Prague - The Piazzetta in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Prague 1 is now called Miloš Forman Square. The naming after the famous director is intended to help keep the place undeveloped. This was announced today by outgoing Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO). Oscar-winning director Forman passed away this year on April 13 at the age of 86. According to the mayor, the director's relatives responded positively to the renaming of the place.

"It was the only free space that did not have a name. (...) Each gap must be approached individually, and this seemed to us to be a suitable place for him," said Krnáčová, adding that they were looking for a place in the city center to honor Miloš Forman's name. According to the mayor, the city should prepare a proposal to cultivate the space to commemorate the prominent creator respectfully. She would welcome a statue referencing Forman's works at the location.

The renaming of the piazzetta is also a response to the possibility of its development. "This systemic measure was proposed precisely to show my stance on what should happen to this square. That means, I do not agree with any development," Krnáčová said.

Last year, information appeared in Právo that the company J&T wanted to build an office building on the site. According to the draft Metropolitan Plan that the capital city is preparing, the space in front of the hotel is buildable. During the discussion of the Metropolitan Plan, the Prague 1 municipal district and the councilor for the environment, Jana Plamínková (STAN), opposed the development in the area bounded by the hotel, Eliška Krásnohorské street, and Bílková street.

Prague councilors decided on renaming the place back in May, and the official unveiling took place five months later. "I did not want this to become a subject of electoral struggle. This is not the merit of the upcoming political generation. We wanted to do it after the elections at all costs and regardless of the winner. That person does not deserve to be dragged through the media," Krnáčová told ČTK.

At the end of August, entrepreneur and ODA leader Pavel Sehnal suggested renaming the Exhibition Grounds in Prague 7 to Miloš Forman Park, which initially received support from the heirs. They distanced themselves from the proposal after Sehnal used Forman's name in his election campaign. Brothers Petr and Matěj Forman demanded that he remove the name and photo of the Oscar-winning director from Sehnal's campaign and requested 600,000 crowns as compensation for the misuse of the Forman family's name.

Forman achieved his greatest fame after moving to America in the late 1960s. In the USA, following the not very successful Taking Off, he broke through with the Oscar-winning One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975). His subsequent films, the adaptation of the musical Hair (1979) and Ragtime (1981), were more successful in Europe than in America, but Amadeus (1984) won eight Oscars. After the films The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996) and Man on the Moon (1999), Miloš Forman last stood behind the camera when he shot Goya's Ghosts (2006) in Spain.