Prague will create a feasibility study for the construction of a blob in Letná

The material was presented outside the pre-approved agenda by the outgoing mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO). "We have approved the study, according to which it will be shown whether the project is still feasible or not. The new council will then decide how to proceed with it," said Krnáčová.

The feasibility study should also address, among other things, the form of the city hall's involvement in the construction, whether it would, for example, be a joint venture with a private investor. It will determine the usability of the building, the amount of construction and operational costs, or the impact on tourism and Prague's standing within UNESCO. It will also assess the environmental impact and establish a schedule for preparation and construction.

The city hall revived the idea of building the blob this June. The outgoing councilors were supposed to discuss the document approved today last week, but councilor Jan Wolf (KDU-ČSL) ultimately did not include it on the agenda. This was at the request of representatives of the Pirates, Prague Sobě, and the United Forces for Prague (TOP 09, STAN, and KDU-ČSL), who are currently negotiating a new coalition in the city hall. The document was subsequently withdrawn from Wolf by Krnáčová, who presented it herself today. Wolf told ČTK that he voted against the approval and that he was not informed in advance that the mayor would present the document. In the council functioning until this year's elections, the construction was primarily advocated by the late architect's widow, Eliška Kaplicky Fuchsová, who was a representative for ANO.

Architect Jan Kaplický won the design for the new National Library building (NK) in 2007. The then-director of the NK, Vlastimil Ježek, wanted to address the spatial deficiencies of the institution with the new building. However, the competition sanctioned by the International Union of Architects ended up in court due to changing rules during its progress.

Then-president Václav Klaus and the city leadership dominated by the ODS led by former mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) opposed the construction. The project was ultimately abandoned. Subsequently, some Prague politicians sought other suitable sites for construction, including Stodůlky, Strahov, or Pankrác at that time. Before the 2009 elections, a party called Blob was even formed with the aim of promoting the construction of the blob.