The Railway Administration will commence the second phase of the reconstruction of the Fantova building at the end of the year

Prague - The Railway Administration (SŽ) will begin the second phase of the reconstruction of the interior of the Fantova building at the main railway station in Prague at the end of this year. This will start after the selection of the winning bidder for the construction work. The winning company will restore the southern parts of the historic building and the upper floors of the northern part of the building, including the offices of the Railway Authority and the Czech Police. The maximum bid price is set at 570 million crowns. SŽ informed ČTK about this today in a press release.

The upper floors in the northern part, almost the entire southern part, and other areas including the government lounge will be renovated. The arrival southern underpass will return to its original form. The art nouveau decorated ceiling of the Fant Hall will again be visible directly from the underpass.

The construction will be carried out by SŽ in three phases, during which operations in the building will be relocated outside the parts under reconstruction. Work is expected to begin at the end of this year, with completion anticipated in the first half of 2028.

The building already had its facade reconstructed from 2019 to 2022 and roofing. The builders then focused on the interiors in the northern part of the monumentally protected object in the autumn of 2021, which mainly include several cultural halls. The interior reconstruction was supposed to be completed in the summer of 2023, but after repairs it finally opened only in December.

The main railway station in Prague was opened on December 14, 1871, then known as Emperor Franz Joseph Station. The art nouveau Fantova building was built from 1901 to 1909 and replaced the original, no longer adequate station building. Until 1977, it served as the main service area of the main station. It is named after the architect Josef Fant, who was the author of its design.