Prague has announced a competition for the completion of the Industrial Palace

Prague - Prague will announce an architectural competition for the completion of the Industrial Palace. This was decided today by the council of the capital city. The winner of the competition, who will develop the final design, will be known in three months, city councilor for culture Milan Richter (ODS) told reporters today. He added that construction of the left wing of the palace, which was destroyed by fire last year, could begin in about a year. The entire restoration of the monument will not be completed in less than two years.
    The completion of the palace will cost the metropolis about 1.5 billion crowns. Of this, 1 billion crowns will be needed for the restoration of the left wing, 260 million will be paid by the municipality for the underpass under the Industrial Palace, and 220 million for the technology. According to Richter, these will be located underground in the left wing.
    The city will also announce a competition for technical supervision of the construction. While the municipal culture department will seek an architect, the department for city investment is tasked with finding supervising technicians. The municipality will have 4.1 million crowns available this year for expenses related to announcing the competition.
    Prague insists primarily that the new construction resembles the original wing as much as possible. At the same time, it will have to comply with current safety standards.
    According to earlier information from the firefighters, the fire was caused by a combination of several factors and was caused by an electric cooker. Firefighters have initiated administrative proceedings against Incheba, as they believe it did not adequately train employees in fire prevention.
    City officials continue to negotiate with Incheba, which has leased the area from the municipality, regarding who will receive the insurance money. "It seems that the negotiations are heading towards a good conclusion,” Richter said.
    The municipality attempted to conclude an amendment to the contract with Incheba that would ensure the completion of the destroyed wing, but after disputes, the metropolis ultimately decided to begin preparations for the restoration of the monument on its own and to have project documentation prepared.
    Insurance companies, with which the Exhibition Grounds are insured for 2.5 billion crowns, have estimated the damage caused by last year's fire at only 181 million crowns. This is not acceptable to Prague or Incheba.