Praha will announce a tender for the renovation of the Vinohrady Theatre at the beginning of March

Prague - Prague will announce a tender in early March this year for the renovation of the Vinohrady Theatre. The reason is the poor technical condition of the building and its facilities, including theatrical technology, as well as the expansion of theatre spaces. The maximum price for the contract is 2.76 billion CZK. The city council today approved the announcement of the tender. In addition to the renovation, the reconstruction will also include the construction of a new underground chamber stage. The work is expected to be completed in 2027.

The city has been planning the renovation of the theatre for several years. In addition to the tender for the contractor, it will also announce a contract for construction supervision. In total, the renovation is expected to cost about 2.9 billion CZK. The theatre, which is a contribution organization of the city, was built between 1905 and 1907 in the Art Nouveau style and has not yet been renovated.

"The Vinohrady Theatre has never been comprehensively renovated, and it has only undergone small interventions. A complete reconstruction of this historical building will be necessary, including the replacement of all equipment that makes the theatre a theatre. A new hall will also be built, which will serve as a rehearsal room," said Deputy Mayor Jiří Pospíšil (TOP 09).

The reason for the repairs and expansion of theatre spaces is the poor technical condition of the building. The stage from 1926, designed by František Křižík, has never been reconstructed. Křižík's technical equipment will be cut up, as it cannot be disassembled and removed. The National Technical Museum has shown interest in some of its parts, such as the electric motor or the screw mechanism. In addition to the stage, electrical installations, sanitation facilities, and decorations, including frescoes and facades, also need to be repaired.

In addition to the renovation of the historic building, a new stage and facilities will be created underground behind the theatre building on Římská Street. Access to the new stage will be through the historic building of the theatre. The chamber stage, which will also serve as a rehearsal room, is planned to have a capacity of 150 to 200 spectators. In the future, a project for a central scene shop for Prague theatres will also be resolved.

Preparation for the renovation began about six years ago. In the meantime, the theatre has signed contracts with project designers, among others. The city joined these contracts last July and took over full responsibility for the repairs. The goal of the project is to renovate the historic building, expand it, and improve audience comfort.

The theatre's director, Tomáš Töpfer, told reporters some time ago that during the renovation, the theatre would be completely vacated. According to him, the ensemble should temporarily move to the Congress Center Prague (KCP) in Nusle, with which they are currently negotiating the terms. They are also negotiating with the National Theatre and the Karlín Music Theatre.

Some councillors in today's discussion said that the city hall should adjust the conditions for selecting the winning bidder. According to opposition councillor Adam Schenherr (Praha Sobě), the only criterion should not be the price, but there should be more, such as the duration of the renovation. The proposal was ultimately not accepted, and the evaluating criterion will be the bid price.

The Art Nouveau building at Peace Square was constructed between 1905 and 1907 based on a design by architect Alois Čenský. The theatre was opened on November 24, 1907, and the first performance was Jaroslav Vrchlický's play Godiva.