The leadership of Prague has approved the amended agreement on Forman's Square

Prague - The leadership of Prague approved a new version of the memorandum regarding the future shape of Miloš Forman Square next to the former Intercontinental Hotel. The revised version was approved today by the city councilors. Unlike the originally adopted version, the new one does not include a specific proposal for the square's solution, including the construction of the criticized new building, but primarily includes support for the architectural and urban competition that the hotel owners plan to announce at the end of April. The new wording of the memorandum is still criticized by the non-profit organization Arnika, which claims it still favors construction.

The hotel and its surroundings were purchased in 2019 through the family office R2G by entrepreneurs Oldřich Šlemr, Eduard Kučera, and Pavel Baudiš. They subsequently initiated the renovation of the hotel, which is expected to reopen this year under a new name. The plans included modifications to the surrounding area, including the square, which has been named after the director Miloš Forman since 2018.

The plans also included the construction of a new commercial building, which, however, was rejected by local residents, the previous leadership of Prague, and Prague 1, and after the decision of the Ministry of Regional Development, the project did not obtain a territorial decision due to inconsistencies with the zoning plan. The current leadership of the magistrate, however, supported the original version of the memorandum from last February, which earned it further criticism from local associations.

The magistrate has now revised the memorandum based on the comments from Prague 1, which supports the announcement of a competition instead of the original specific proposal for the square's shape. The city district council has already approved the new version. "The revised memorandum brings a more democratic process for finding a final solution for this space so that it can serve Prague residents, visitors to Prague, and the newly renovated hotel as soon as possible," states the explanatory report accompanying today's council resolution.

The owners are waiting for the approval and subsequent signing of the memorandum to announce the competition. "We anticipate that we will announce the competition at the end of April," architect Igor Kovačevič from the organization CCEA MOBA, which organizes the competition for the owners, told ČTK today. He added that the results should be known by January of next year. The main idea of the competition is to combine multiple functions, such as public space for gatherings and leisure, commercial spaces, and ensuring parking for the hotel, among other things. The Prague council also recently approved an initiative to change the zoning plan, submitted by the hotel owners, which would allow construction in the square.

According to Arnika, even though the omission of specific parameters for the new building from the agreement is a step in the right direction, the conditions still imply that a commercial building in the square is not only a possible but a preferred option.

"Although the memorandum appears to be an open assignment, in reality, it binds Prague – it accepted the investor's conditions and preemptively gave up the option of creating a square without commercial use, for which the city could contribute to its creation and operation," said Anna Vinklárková on behalf of the organization. She added that there is still a lack of statements from heritage protectors, without which it is unclear whether the construction is even possible.

"Representatives of our heritage care department have negotiated with the investor regarding the tender conditions, but nothing specific has yet arisen from these discussions," said magistrate spokesman Vít Hofman regarding this matter.

The Intercontinental Hotel was built in brutalist style on Pařížská Street between 1968 and 1974 in collaboration with three architectural collectives led by Karel Filsak. It was the first international five-star hotel in former Czechoslovakia and is among the architecturally significant new buildings in the city center. After renovation, it will be operated by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, part of the Accor network, under the name Fairmont Golden Prague Hotel (hotel Fairmont Zlatá Praha).