Prague is investing two to three billion in the renovation of the Prague Market

Prague – The capital is investing two to three billion crowns in the restoration of the Prague Market in Holešovice over the next 15 years. The area will serve cultural, commercial, and gastronomic functions. There will also be offices, a supermarket, and an observation tower will be built. The options for entry will be expanded, new greenery will be planted, and rainwater will be collected in underground tanks. The market will be operated by the city itself. This was announced today by Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague Sobě) along with architects who created the economic and urban-architectural studies.

"We want it to be a vibrant area accessible to all age and income groups, offering a suitable mix of activities, shopping, services, gastronomy, and culture. We are interested in keeping the market intact and fully under the control of the city," said Vyhnánek. One fifth of the area is reportedly currently unused.

The city will pay for the reconstruction from its budget. According to the deputy, tens of millions have been allocated for this year. The funds are intended, for example, for the repairs of the former Stock Exchange. The city is waiting for a building permit, and a tender for the repairs will be announced in the second half of the year. At the same time, they will find a designer for the repair of the engineering networks, which are in poor condition and without which it is not possible to renovate the buildings. "Even if we were to reconstruct some buildings now, we would not be able to connect them to the networks," Vyhnánek said. The market will remain in operation during the reconstruction.

The area will be divided into several zones. "The basis is in retail, services, and gastronomy. The buildings are not mono-functional," said Blanka Vačková, who collaborated on the economic study commissioned by the city.

The central promenade will be reconstructed. It will feature mobile stalls, an information center, and in Hall 29 there will be a food market. In addition to the gastronomy activities, conferences and similar events are also expected to take place here.

Another area is the so-called pop-up zone, which adjoins the promenade and is oriented towards the river. Smaller shops could be created here, which would be rented for shorter periods or to start-up entrepreneurs. Hall 2 could house a center for Czech design. "This is a zone that is already beginning to be transformed and the reconstruction will take place here as one of the first," said Tomáš Ctibor, who participated in the economic study.

In the western part of the area, there will be a square with restaurants, which will connect to a gastronomic and leisure zone. In Hall 22, the vegetable market will remain. However, there will also be restaurants or a nightclub. "It is far enough away from residential buildings, so it should not bother people," Vačková said.

The area will retain a theater, there will be a supermarket, and in the new spaces, the company Alza, which is already located in the market, will also be present. Hall 39 will serve as a children's center. The tower in the market will serve as a lookout. The Asian market will also be preserved. In Hall 9, there will be a new passage that better connects the area towards Komunardů Street.

In the market, there will also be new greenery planted in parking lots to cool the area during summer, and new rows of trees will be created. There will be rainwater tanks underground. New water features or art pieces will be installed in public spaces.

A new entrance will be built from Argentinská Street, which will relieve the overloaded Jateční Street. New entrances will be created, and according to architect Vít Másl, the area will be better connected to the surroundings and more accessible. Next to the water tower, an observation tower will be built in the same place where a chimney once stood. It will be of the same height.

Two houses from the 1980s on Jateční Street will be demolished. "According to us and the heritage conservationists, there is no sense in keeping them; they have no level of protection from the perspective of heritage conservation," said Vyhnánek.

The area of the original Prague slaughterhouses was established in 1895. It operated as a slaughterhouse until the 1980s when it began to be transformed into a market. It is a cultural monument.