Prague is preparing adjustments to the surrounding area of the National Museum

Prague - Prague plans to modify the space between the historic museum building and the former Federal Assembly in connection with the reconstruction of the National Museum and traffic calming on the boulevard. Ondřej Boháč, the director of the city's Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), told ČTK today. The currently quite difficult-to-navigate space is set to be paved by the fall of next year and will ultimately resemble a smaller square. IPR has been tasked with preparing a study of changes and documentation for obtaining a zoning decision by the end of the year. Looking ahead, the city also plans to revitalize Čelakovského sady.

The planned modifications derive from agreements between the museum, the magistrate, and other institutions. During the reconstruction of the museum, Vinohradská Street will only be passable in the direction from Wilsonova, which should remain permanent. Reduced traffic is expected to make the space between the old and new buildings more inviting for pedestrians. The current island at the boulevard crossing is also set to disappear, with the entire area being paved instead.

IPR is tasked with preparing a project proposal for zoning proceedings by the end of the year. Prague hopes to complete the modifications before the renovated historic museum building opens to the public for the first time. This is scheduled to happen on October 28 of next year when the museum has planned the start of an exhibition to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the republic.

According to the existing agreement, Čelakovského sady are not expected to undergo significant transformation in the first phase; however, larger revitalization is planned for the future. According to Boháč, the replacement of furniture is currently being considered, and there has been a proposal for fencing off part of the park that the museum could use, for example, for its botanical collections. It would be open only during the day and locked at night.

Michal Lukeš, the director of the National Museum, told ČTK that there is a working group overseeing the modifications around the museum, led by Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO). Besides the changes that are to be completed by next year, the group is also working on a long-term revitalization plan and its timeline. "We would like to resolve the issue of Čelakovské sady so that it will be clear in the future what its concept and use will be," said the director. He added that the museum would like to use them for its outdoor activities, such as archaeology days.

According to Boháč, there are plans in 2019 to build part of a track longitudinally between the two museum buildings along Vinohradská Street, which will eventually connect to the planned tram line from Vinohrady to the Main Train Station. There should be stairs leading from Čelakovského sady to the level of the boulevard, which will connect to a new crossing over Legerova.

Past preparations for changes to Čelakovského sady were made by Prague 1, but plans were postponed in light of the upcoming calming of the boulevard around the museum. "Once it is clear how the roadways and tram tracks will be laid out, then the revitalization can be planned," said city hall spokesperson Veronika Blažková. Modifications to the boulevard are being prepared by Prague in collaboration with the studio of Danish urban planner Jan Gehl. In the first phase, they are to concern the surroundings of the traffic artery, particularly the area around the National Museum.

The general renovation of the historic museum building began in 2015 when it was closed to visitors. All collections were removed from the building, leaving only mounted specimens of an elephant and a giraffe and the skeleton of a whale, which would have to be dismantled. The total budget for the reconstruction is 2.34 billion crowns.