Prague wants to repair the Vinohrady Theatre and is planning a science park as well

Prague - Prague wants to start and largely complete the reconstruction and expansion of the Vinohrady Theatre during this electoral term. It also plans to establish a park focused on science and the development of modern technologies. This follows from the program declaration approved today by city councilors. The coalition in the metropolis consists of Spolu (ODS, TOP 09, and KDU-ČSL), Pirates, and STAN; the councilors approved their declaration approximately nine months after the elections and nearly four months after the election of the city leadership.

The planned reconstruction of the Vinohrady Theatre in Prague is estimated to cost around 2.8 billion crowns according to information from about a year ago. In addition to the repair of the historic building, a new stage and facilities will be created underground behind the theatre building on Římská Street. The deputy mayor for culture, Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09), mentioned the reconstruction today after the approval of the program declaration as one of the most important intentions, stating that a large part of the work should be completed during this electoral term.

Pospíšil also wants to focus on resolving the long-standing court dispute between the city and the heirs of painter Alphonse Mucha regarding the ownership of the Slav Epic. The city is currently negotiating with the painter's grandson, John Mucha, about an out-of-court agreement involving the placement of the canvases in the planned commercial center Savarin near Wenceslas Square, but this is opposed by another granddaughter, Jarmila Mucha Plocková. The program declaration does not mention Savarin and speaks generally about the city finding a place for the permanent display of the paintings, which are loaned to the castle in Moravský Krumlov until 2026.

According to the program declaration, among the already started projects in culture, there are plans to launch a Baroque exhibition in the recently reconstructed Clam-Gallas Palace or to open a new branch of the city library in Petřiny. The document mentions preparing plans for the reconstruction of the former Žižkov baths into a dance center, the reconstruction of Švanda Theatre, or the creation of an incubator focused on the video game industry. "We want to open up the Prague underground to the public," Pospíšil said in connection with tourism, though a similar intention is not stated in the program declaration.

In innovations and the development of modern technologies, the city plans, according to councilor Daniel Mazur (Pirates), to further develop digitalization, for example through expanding the functions of the Prague Citizen Portal or the PID Lítačka application. The city also wants to assist in the development of innovations by creating its own scientific and technological park that would oversee cooperation between young companies, local government, and the academic sphere. The coalition also aims to present the city as a candidate for the headquarters of some international institutions dealing with artificial intelligence.