In Stromovka, water areas will be added and the surfaces of paths will be repaired

Prague - In the Prague park Stromovka, new water areas will begin to be built this year, and the surfaces of the paths for various uses will be repaired. The surroundings of the Šlechtova restaurant are also being prepared for modification, but the building must first be repaired. The municipality's plans for one of the largest parks in Prague were shared with ČTK by Dan Frantík, head of the green care department of the municipal greenery and waste management office of the Prague municipality.
    There are more than 1.6 hectares of water areas in Stromovka. This year, the municipality plans to adjust the banks of the existing ones and start the construction of new ponds. "The entire central part of Stromovka was historically one large pond," explained Frantík. The original pond was about 20 hectares.
    The water areas are to be expanded into places where the grass is marshy. "In the last 15 years, there have been floods twice, so we have mapped the areas where water stood for half a year after the flood," he added. 1.4 hectares of new water areas are to be created.
    Prague informed about the project as early as 2012, and it was supposed to start last year. The new ponds will be divided into a recreational part with access to the water, splash pads, and water features, and a natural part that will serve as a quiet area for bird nesting.
    Surfaces of some paths will also be modified. New paths for pedestrians and rollerbladers are to be separated. "We want to direct them to the outer road, which is asphalt," he explained. The paths in the central part will now have a gravel surface of fine natural stone.
    Next year, one of the main paths leading from the exhibition grounds across the track to the children's playground Kaštánek will be completely repaired. Since the Prague Gas Company will be changing the hot water pipeline that runs under the road, its closure will be used for surface replacement, as well as for benches and bins, and for tree row adjustments. According to Frantík, this will be an investment of eight to nine million crowns.
    The largest planned investment will be the renovation of the Šlechtova restaurant for 150 million crowns. However, according to the latest information, it will not start this year and should be completed in the summer of 2017. The landmark was burned down at the turn of the 70s and 80s and has been deteriorating since then. It was also damaged by the flood in 2002. The Department of Municipal Greenery has already prepared a project for the modification of the surroundings of the restaurant after the renovation. "There is no point in doing it until the repair is done, construction could damage it," Frantík explained. Last year, the council approved the stabilization of the unstable slope above the historic building.
    Stromovka, or the Royal Game Reserve, is one of the oldest parks in Prague. It was probably founded in 1268 by the Czech King Přemysl Otakar II as a hunting ground. It was first opened to the public in 1804.