Prague will announce a competition next week for the completion of the Industrial Palace

Prague - The capital city will announce an architectural competition for the reconstruction of the Industrial Palace next week, the left wing of which was completely destroyed by a fire last autumn. This was stated by councilor Milan Richter (ODS) to ČTK. Prague insists primarily that the new construction should closely resemble the original wing. Firefighters also announced today that they have initiated administrative proceedings against the company Incheba, which has the entire Prague Exhibition Grounds leased. According to the firefighters, Incheba did not adequately train the staff in fire prevention before the palace burned down.
    "The reconstruction must be authentic. At the same time, it will be necessary to adapt the building to current safety standards," said Jan Kněžínek, director of the city hall's cultural and heritage department, to ČTK.
    The city has consulted the preparation of the competition with heritage conservationists. According to a statement available to ČTK, they emphasize primarily that a thorough architectural historical survey should be carried out before the design work begins. They also demand a restoration and static survey of the existing parts of the building.
    Like the city, heritage conservationists insist on maintaining authenticity. "The reconstruction should be conceived as a restoration of the original state, including period architectural and artistic-craft details in accordance with the results of the architectural historical survey. A clear guiding principle for this restoration is also the well-preserved symmetrical right wing of the palace," stated Michael Zachař, director of the Prague office of the National Heritage Institute, in a statement.
    According to the conservationists, the significant alterations to the palace in the 1950s, which can be seen at the entrance, should also be taken into account during the reconstruction. They also recommend forming a committee of conservationists, historians, architects, and technicians to participate in the reconstruction preparation.
    According to previous information from the firefighters, the fire resulted from a combination of several factors and was caused by an electric cooker.
    The city hall attempted to reach an amendment to the lease agreement with Incheba that would ensure the reconstruction of the destroyed wing, but after disputes, the metropolis ultimately decided to begin the preparation for the monument's restoration on its own and to have project documentation prepared.
    The restoration of the Industrial Palace is estimated to cost around 1.5 billion crowns according to the city's estimates. This amount should, in addition to the reconstruction of the left wing, include the construction of an underpass beneath the palace.
    The insurance companies, with which the Exhibition Grounds are insured for 2.5 billion crowns, have only assessed the damage caused by last year's fire at 181 million crowns. Both Prague and Incheba disagree with this amount, finding it too low. However, as both parties have not yet agreed on who the insurance belongs to, the insurers have placed the money in judicial custody. If Prague and Incheba do not agree, the court will have to decide on the recipient of the money. Only then will Prague be able to sue the insurers regarding the amount of the insurance. However, Richter and Ježovič told ČTK today that negotiations are still ongoing.
    The capital city already decided in March that it would withdraw from the lease agreement for the Prague Exhibition Grounds if Incheba does not invest 300 million crowns in the restoration by the end of the year. According to Richter, the contract with Incheba is unfavorable for the city. Incheba was supposed to invest 1 billion crowns in the reconstruction of the grounds by 2015 in exchange for a favorable lease, but it was supposed to invest 300 million crowns in previous years, which did not happen.