The Prague City Hall is preparing modifications to Vítkov Hill

Prague - The Vítkov hill between the Prague districts of Žižkov and Karlín is set to undergo renovations. The Prague city hall plans to initially create a promenade on the hill from the memorial towards Ohrad. It will include a café and an amphitheater. In the following years, the city will continue with renovations that are gradually expected to encompass the entire hill. CTK was informed today by the spokesman of the city's Institute of Planning and Development, Marek Vácha.

According to Vácha, the renovations are planned for the next ten years, with the project documentation for the first part, which includes the promenade, now being completed. The plan includes road modifications, tree restoration, and the introduction of new networks. The establishment of the café and amphitheater is also planned. Many studios and architects are collaborating on the project, the spokesman stated.

In the coming years, the renovations are expected to affect the entire hill. "It will involve a gradual restoration of greenery, slope vegetation, improvement of accessibility, enhancement of the staircase and path networks, restoration of utility networks, lighting, facilities for maintenance as well as for residents," Vácha added.

He noted that the project also includes a so-called management plan, which is a commonly used tool in European cities for improving the management of greenery. The plan is created for each park individually based on its location and specific conditions. It contains guidelines for who and how will regularly maintain it, without which parks quickly fall into disrepair.

The dominant feature of Vítkov is the National Monument 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 parliamentary sessions and other events. Later, the memorial became a mausoleum for communist leaders. It now houses an exhibition on Czech and Czechoslovak modern history, which was opened in 2009 and is managed by the National Museum.