Prague Exhibition Ground is again open after being damaged by the wind

Prague - The area of the Holešovice Exhibition Grounds is once again open to the public from this afternoon. The Industrial Palace remains closed, which was damaged by a storm on Sunday. This information was provided by the city company Výstaviště Praha, which manages the area for the capital city. Due to the damage to the palace, the international exhibition Designblok had to end prematurely, with several of its installations being damaged. The storm Herwart from Sunday affected the entire Czech Republic and claimed three human lives.

The wind damaged the modular hall at the site of the burned-down left wing and tore the roof off the historic central part of the palace. According to the chairman of the board of Výstaviště Praha, Pavel Klaška, restoration work will take place in the coming days, with the goal of reopening the palace as quickly as possible. From today, the rest of the area has reopened to the public with attractions such as Water World, Swimming Pool, Lapidarium, Restaurant Pražan, Small Sports Hall, and Goja Music Hall.

Due to the damage to the building, the annual Designblok had to end early on Sunday, which was supposed to last until today. According to spokesperson Bára Švehlová, this year's exhibition was heading towards record attendance, which, however, it will not reach due to the unplanned shortening. All official program points, including the awarding of prizes, were managed before the closure on Sunday.

The organizers are discussing the damages to the festival together with Prague and Výstaviště with the insurers. "In the left wing, where the roof was torn off, several installations were damaged and destroyed, which we are addressing with the individual exhibitors," Švehlová added. No one was injured.