The provisional staircase in Plzeň will revitalize the waterfront

Plzeň - The hard-to-access riverbank at the Radbuza will be opened to the residents of Plzeň for two weeks in June. Temporary stairs will allow access and revitalize the area, turning it into a relaxation zone, with the addition of a boat and vessel rental by the river. The riverbank will come alive thanks to the Melina Mercouri Day project, which commemorates the author of the idea of European Capitals of Culture, and this year, unlike in the previous three years, it will move from Americká Street to the Radbuza waterfront. The number of days for the event will also be extended, which will include an extraordinary project of an underwater world in a private factory hall, the organizers told journalists today.
    "The staircase is expected to be set up from June 8 to June 22, and it will be a temporary construction made from scaffolding. The stairs will be spacious, comfortable for sitting, so people can enjoy the riverbank. They will be built between Wilson's Bridge and the double footbridge to the former Invest," said Soňa Rychlíková from the preparatory team.
    The opening of the stairs on June 8 will be accompanied by a happening, which will include an afternoon picnic on the stairs, an evening acrobatic show, musical performances, and a tightrope walk across the river, among other activities. During the evening, a mass bike ride will also arrive at the stairs, as part of the Containers to the World festival currently taking place in Plzeň. "Later, interested visitors can take a shuttle service to a party in the factory hall in Chrást, where the underwater world created by Petr Forman will be presented," Rychlíková added.
    The second Melina Mercouri Day will take place on June 22 in the area on Anglické and Denisovo waterfronts, in the adjacent piazzetta under the Komerční bank, in Smetanovy sady, and directly on the riverbank. Two stages will be prepared, offering a national showcase of street dance and performances from various dance schools. "The dance hall in front of the conservatory in Smetanovy sady will invite people for brass music to dance and listen. There will also be a children's zone with a program for the little ones," said Šárka Havlíčková, the program director of the Plzeň 2015 project, under which the event is held with a budget of 500,000 CZK.
    According to the artistic director of Plzeň 2015, Petr Forman, the so-called Chrást Aquarium Factory will be an extraordinary event. In the factory hall of ATMOS Chrást, people will see the so-called underwater world on June 8 at 8:30 PM. The project, funded by the company owner, is being prepared under Forman's supervision by 50 students from various studios of the Institute of Art and Design. They will incorporate their works into the empty hall space. "And they will also animate it. The viewer will look into the hall through glass, allowing them to observe this world as if in an aquarium," Forman stated. In the second hall, the Small Dance Orchestra Universal Prague, composed of members from the Divadlo Sklep theater, will perform.