Praha začne o prázdninách s úpravami promenády na vrchu Vítkov

Prague - The Prague City Hall will start with the first part of the promenade modifications on Vítkov Hill during the holidays. This will include the creation of an area with trees instead of the current parking lot, narrowing of the roadway, surface replacement, and the construction of a building with refreshments and restrooms. Jan Frantík, head of the green care department, said this at today's project presentation at Vítkov. The work will last about two years, costing 109.7 million crowns excluding VAT, and will be carried out by the company FIRESTA-Fišer, reconstruction, construction.

According to Frantík, the city has been preparing the project at least since 2006. The current form was acquired in 2016 and includes gradual modifications of the entire approximately one-kilometer promenade, which leads from the memorial at Ohrada.

The first part will involve the area immediately to the east of the memorial, which is not part of the project. The entire appearance of the parking lot and promenade, which is currently more like a road, will be changed. The new space in place of the parking lot will have a gravel surface, and trees will be planted on it. There will also be a planned refreshment area, which will be embedded into the slope and, according to Frantík, should be almost invisible from the area.

The remaining asphalt surfaces will be replaced with a combination of concrete and large-format paving. Water jets, misting areas, geysers, and waterfalls will be added, and there are plans to replace benches and other furnishings. Due to the presence of the memorial, the passage for cars must be preserved, even during construction. According to Frantík, the project will not involve the demolition of an older building that is managed by Prague 3, as the city hall has previously been unable to negotiate with its local government for the removal of the structure.

The mayor of the third municipal district, Michal Vronský (TOP 09), said today that he would have the situation regarding the construction, which is rented by a gardening company, examined. The mayor praised the modification project. "I look forward to the municipal district gaining another quality space that people can use for gatherings," he said.

After the completion of the first part of the reconstruction, another phase will follow, concerning about 150 meters of the adjoining promenade. In total, the restoration of the promenade is to be divided into six parts.

The dominant feature of Vítkov is the National Memorial with the equestrian statue of Jan Žižka. It was created in the 1930s. It was meant to commemorate the birth of the Czechoslovak state and the heroism of the legionnaires, but also to serve as a venue for parliament meetings and other events. Later, the memorial became a mausoleum for communist leaders. It now houses a museum of modern Czech and Czechoslovak history, which was opened in 2009 and falls under the National Museum.