The sale of the Žižkov Freight Station should be completed in a year and a half

Prague – The Žižkov freight station is likely to be purchased by the capital city together with the National Film Archive and the Žižkov Station Development company, which is owned by Czech Railways and the Sekyra Group. All parties are currently negotiating the division of the property, its future use, and the terms of co-ownership. An agreement could be finalized by the end of this year, and the purchase could take place at the end of next year. The building is currently owned by Czech Railways, and residential construction is planned in the station area.

"Our interest is to make a joint purchase," said councilor for property Jan Chabr (TOP 09), adding that in such a case, Prague would not have to cover the entire costly reconstruction. The previous city leadership approved the purchase of the functionalist monument for 662 million crowns, with reconstruction costs estimated between 1.5 and 2.5 billion crowns.

According to Chabr, the extensive property will be divided and managed by a community of owners. The National Film Archive is expected to be in the main building, while a primary school and commercial spaces are planned in the former station. There is also a possibility that a tram line could run through the building, but the city leans more towards having the tracks go north of the station along Malešická Street.

A portion of the building is also to be purchased by the joint venture of Czech Railways and Sekyra Group, Žižkov Station Development, with which the city must negotiate, as it has a right of first refusal on the building. The company initially wanted to demolish the station, but this was abandoned due to opposition from activists.

The Žižkov freight station ceased operations in 2002. The entire area around it spans approximately 33 hectares, and companies such as Central Group and Penta Investment plan to develop there. The resulting new district could have up to 15,000 residents.