From the historical Plzeň spa, apartments, a hotel, and a wellness center will be created

Plzeň - From more than 15 years of closed First Republic spas in Plzeň, there will be luxury apartments, offices, a hotel, a restaurant, and wellness facilities. The Italian investor TWB Praha will obtain a zoning decision for the reconstruction of the monumentally protected building, which is a dominant feature of the central waterfront, in the coming days. The construction, which will cost between 300 and 500 million CZK, is expected to start in a year. CTK was informed by architect Jan Soukup from the eponymous Plzeň studio.
"The zoning proceedings are ending, and the zoning decision will be issued by summer. We are continuing with the permit application and the implementation project," he added. The preservationists agree with the studio's designs, appreciating the combination of wellness and housing, which further carries the idea of the former spas. "The design with a witty glass extension fits perfectly into the waterfront front," said Petr Marovič, head of the preservation department at the municipality.
The studio aims for the building to be a pride of Plzeň. The appearance of the front part, which is monumentally protected like the former twenty-five-meter swimming pool and the entrance hall, cannot be altered by the builders. "Nevertheless, we want the central part, which was not so well restored after the war, to gain elevation and weight, so we are placing a large glass cube there," Soukup added. The modern extensions and the rear building will be the same height as the adjacent police building; it is meant to complete and enclose the entire block. The Italians, who acquired the building three years ago, want to offer a diverse range of activities there to compensate for temporary declines in demand with other activities.
"The best thing the building hides is a generous hall with a pool," Soukup stated. The pool is intended to serve as a wellness and fitness area for 250 people. The investor will build more luxurious apartments, a hotel, shops, and restaurants on the floors. Underground parking for 200 cars will be created.
When opened in 1932, it was considered the most modern spa in the republic, designed by Prague architect Bedřich Bendlmayer. After the war, the most beautiful central part with a high triangular facade on imposing columns was not restored.
The spa with two pools was acquired by a private individual 16 years ago during privatization, who subsequently went bankrupt. Nine years ago, it was purchased by Amádeus Real for ten million crowns. Initially, they negotiated the sale with the city, which, along with the region, wanted to build a gallery there. Eventually, however, the building was bought by an Italian investor who already owns luxury hotels and apartments in the Czech Republic.
The building, however, is rapidly deteriorating. It is being used by homeless people who have ripped wires from the walls and taken away other metal parts. "The building is a reinforced concrete skeleton bound by a concrete structure. It cannot have static defects. It is only deteriorating due to lack of maintenance," Marovič added.