Praha 3 commissioned the project for the reconstruction of Jiřího z Poděbrad Square

Prague - The city hall of Prague 3 has commissioned the architectural firm MCA atelier to develop a project for the long-planned reconstruction of Jiřího z Poděbrad square. The project will be based on a study from the turn of the millennium, which the city district had adjusted based on input from residents. Jiří Ptáček (TOP 09), the mayor of Prague 3, stated this to ČTK. The development of the project will cost 7.5 million crowns excluding VAT, and according to the mayor, the actual reconstruction could begin next year, but the main work is likely to start in 2022.

The reconstruction of the square has previously provoked fierce reactions in Prague 3; the previous leadership of the city hall halted preparations for adjustments according to the original study. The new coalition, formed after the 2018 elections, considered whether to proceed according to the original plans or to issue a new competition. Last September, the councilors decided on the first option, while the city hall gathered input from residents that architects should take into account in the project.

Ptáček said that after the project is completed, a request for a building permit will follow, and the city hall will announce a competition for the contractor. At the same time, the city district is negotiating financing from the city council, which had already promised it earlier. "The project exceeds the capabilities of the city district," the mayor said, adding that the costs will definitely exceed 100 million crowns. According to him, the city council should cover the majority. At the same time, it will be necessary to cooperate with the city regarding the planned reconstruction of Vinohradská street, the mayor added.

According to him, the city hall also wants to negotiate with the transport company regarding the subway vent, which has previously sparked discussions and which the company owns. It is still unclear what will happen with it; input from residents, according to Ptáček, approximately equally speaks of its preservation and replacement with a more subtle element. Even if it were to be preserved, it will need to be adjusted according to the mayor so that it is visually more appealing and that air does not flow to the side where it damages vegetation.

The project will also address the plan to irrigate the greenery in the square from retention tanks, where water from the church is to be directed, Ptáček added. According to a summary of residents' comments from last year, the farmers' markets should shift eastward compared to the original study, and the sidewalks should be widened in the north of the square, with additional trees planted.

The original proposal also includes preserving the fountain in a similar location as it is now. The plan to remove it previously provoked significant opposition, based on which the city hall once adjusted the project in 2014; however, the politicians did not reach an agreement afterwards, and the project came to a standstill for several years. In the past, there was also talk of building a huge underground parking lot for 450 cars for 750 million crowns in connection with the adjustments, but the city district abandoned that idea in 2012.