Praha will announce a competition for the completion of Old Town Square

Prague - Prague plans to announce a new concept competition for the future appearance of the Old Town Square. Its announcement is currently being prepared by a professional commission that the city hall established due to the completion of the city hall building. The proposal has been approved by the council of the capital city, said ČTK councilor for culture Ondřej Pecha (ODS). The missing part of the Old Town Hall is often seen as the main architectural problem of the square, and there are also considerations about reconstructing the Marian Column.
    Architects have been addressing the appearance of one of the most famous Czech squares for over 100 years, with eight architectural competitions already announced on this topic since 1901. However, none of the proposals have been realized.
    The gap created after the non-original, Neo-Gothic, so-called Nobile part of the town hall, which was destroyed at the end of World War II, evokes the most emotion. Instead, there is now a park. While some architects and urban planners recommend leaving the place undeveloped, others in the past have proposed various styles of completion. There is also talk of re-erecting the Marian Column, which was torn down after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy. It was mistakenly considered a symbol of it.
    The old-new idea of completing the town hall came from the Prague ODS before the last municipal elections. Last September, a professional conference on this topic was held at the city hall. A professional commission led by art historian Jiří Kotalík was tasked with recommending the next steps to the councilors.
    It prepared its proposal at its February meeting, but the councilors only got to it now. The main recommendation is to announce a new concept competition for the revitalization of the entire square. A thorough preparation will take "months," according to Pecha. "It has waited 50 years, so it can wait a bit longer," he said.
    "The main problem (with the completion of Old Town Square) is that there is a lack of a concrete vision," Kotalík told ČTK. According to him, the competition could take the form of a literary essay or a sketch. Based on it, an analysis should be developed, leading to the assignment of a comprehensive urban-architectural solution for the square. The new city hall leadership elected from the elections will decide on its announcement, added Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS).
    If experts and politicians agreed on the completion of the town hall, a thorough archaeological survey would need to be conducted at the site of the current park. Scientists assume that intact remains of the underground cellars have been preserved underground.
    According to Zdeněk Dragoun from the National Heritage Institute, archaeologists commissioned a geophysical survey. Based on this, they wanted to identify locations where they would excavate test shafts. However, the company that processed the survey for the NPÚ has still not provided its results.