The crumbling Žižkov spa could be used as a House of Dance

Prague – The dilapidated building of the former Žižkov Baths on Husitská Street in Prague 3 could potentially be utilized in the future as a House of Dance. There would be dance rehearsal spaces, workshops, and facilities for artists. The costs for building the center are preliminarily estimated at 150 million crowns. This is according to a presentation discussed today by the City Hall's Cultural Committee. It is unclear when the center will be established. The building belongs to the city and is managed by the Prague 3 municipal office. The project for the center was proposed by the company Tanec Praha.

"Contemporary dance, unlike music, theater, literature, or visual arts, has no institutional support at all," said the director and founder of Tanec Praha, Yvona Kreuzmannová, at the committee meeting.

The House is to be a creative and educational center of a community character. It will offer artists space and technical as well as administrative support for creation and research. It will also be open to the public, with a café, wellness for dancers and visitors, so-called open classes, and various presentations taking place there. Residential studios for artists from abroad and the regions are also planned.

Tanec Praha is currently negotiating a lease agreement with Prague 3, according to Kreuzmannová. The contract is expected to be for 25 years, with the company paying one crown per year per square meter. "We are discussing the terms of the lease agreement, the reconstruction schedule, and how we will manage to secure funding," she said.

Some members of the City Hall committee stated during the meeting that the easiest procedure would be to delegate the building to Prague 3 and transfer it fully under the main city administration. If this does not happen, the city hall cannot finance any potential renovation. "It's not complicated; it's just one vote from the district council and one from the Prague council. I think that is the first step that should happen," said committee member and Deputy Mayor of Prague 6, Jan Lacina (STAN). Other committee members agreed with him.

The Žižkov Baths were in operation since 1903 and included, among other things, two swimming pools and steam baths. Subsequently, the building served several other purposes. In recent years, the building has been empty.