Prague 10 announced an architectural competition for the modifications of Svatopluk Čech Square

Prague - Prague 10 has announced an architectural competition for the planned modifications of Vršovice Square Svatopluka Čecha. The city's spokesperson Ján Bruno Tropp informed ČTK today. The goal is to clarify the square and better connect it with the surroundings, adding a café and restrooms. The city hall estimates the cost of the modifications at 300 million crowns excluding VAT.

According to the city hall, the square is neglected. "We would like Čechovo Square to become a symbol and a central space of the city district, just like Míru Square is for Prague 2 or Jiřího z Poděbrad Square is for Prague 3," said the mayor of Prague 10 Martin Valovič (ODS). The city district incorporated feedback from 650 residents of the nearby area into the competition brief, which the jury will also take into account when evaluating the proposals.

The mayor added that the area should be better connected to surrounding streets in the future, and better transportation organization is expected to increase safety and comfort for people. According to local residents' suggestions, people are bothered by the unconceptual and outdated solutions for the space, neglected greenery, poor maintenance, damaged or insufficient furniture such as benches or trash cans, broken surfaces, or inadequate lighting.

Residents near the square also expressed in the competition brief that they are concerned about people gathering in some more secluded spots of the square, who evoke distrust. The area around St. Wenceslas Church has denser greenery, which the parish would welcome limiting due to incidents of vandalism and disorder. The square should also serve better for hosting various cultural or other events in the future.

Currently, there are 210 parking spaces in the area of the square, and the competition brief advises participants to keep at least 85 percent of them. The city hall aims to calm the area from a traffic perspective, implement a maximum speed of 30 kilometers per hour, and design the square primarily for pedestrians and cyclists.

Those interested in participating can register for the competition until May 11. Their proposals will be evaluated by a committee composed of city hall management members and architects Přemysl Krejčiřík, Michal Marcinov, Martin Rusina, Miroslava Zadražilová, Lucie Radilová, and Vanda Štěpánová. The city hall collaborated with the company Architekti Prostoru and the Czech Chamber of Architects in preparing the competition, added competition secretary Miroslav Vodák from CBArchitektura.

Svatopluka Čecha Square, better known as Čechovo Square, is located around St. Wenceslas Church between Moskevská and Slovinská Streets. The church was built between 1929 and 1930 on the site of a former cemetery according to the design of architect Josef Gočár. It is considered one of the most significant functionalist buildings in the Czech Republic.