In the historic Municipal Court in Prague, there will be luxury apartments

Prague - The dilapidated area of the Municipal Courtyard in a picturesque location near Haštalské Square in the Old Town of Prague will be repaired by a private investor. In the historic building, luxurious apartments are to be created. The owner's representative, Jana Bakešová, stated today that the famous Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill will be tasked with preserving the buildings' original "air of Prague's Stínadla".
    The Municipal Courtyard consists of a complex of three Baroque and one Neoclassical building. The place reportedly became an inspiration for the novels about the Quick Arrows by Jaroslav Foglar. Czech painter Josef Mánes also spent part of his life in the Municipal Courtyard. The area belonged to the Prague magistracy until 2008, after which it changed hands several times. The dilapidated monument came into the current investor's hands in the middle of this year.
    "The Municipal Courtyard represents a symbolic micro-world in the city center that should be preserved and renovated. Our work on the Municipal Courtyard project will, of course, respect the character and genius loci," stated Bofill.
    The reconstruction is expected to be completed in three years. Individual apartments will be available for sale as early as next year.
    The Municipal Courtyard used to serve as the background for firefighters and municipal services. In the last century, part of the area was allocated to heating plants, which the city regained through a legal dispute. In August 2002, the buildings were affected by flooding. Since then, they have been essentially empty. Originally, the Old Town Municipal Courtyard was a late Gothic building built in the 16th century. Additional wings were created later. The current appearance of the area dates back to the mid-19th century.
    The Prague magistracy tried to sell the property for several years, and the sale was completed in 2007 when the city sold the Municipal Courtyard to Konstruktiva Konsit for 114 million crowns.
    Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill is also the author of Parisian estates for companies like Christian Dior or Cartier, created in the 1990s, as well as the airport building in Barcelona built between 2004 and 2006. In the Czech Republic, he is credited with the Corso Karlín project, which was created by the conversion of a former ČKD factory hall. He is currently working on the reconstruction of the U Drahomířina Sloupu Palace in Prague's Loretánské Square for the Václav Havel Library.