Hradec Králové has begun preparing a project for a new fountain in the historic Great Square

The City Hall of Hradec Králové has started preparing a project for a new fountain in the historic Great Square. The city council recommended allocating eight million crowns for project documentation, the architect's fee for the fountain, author's supervision, and insurance. The construction cost is expected to be around 12 million crowns. This was stated to reporters today by the Mayor's Deputy for Urban Planning, Urbanism, and Architecture, Adam Záruba (independent). The fountain installation will be part of the overall renovation of the Great Square that the city is preparing.

Last year's architectural competition for the fountain attracted 54 proposals. The design by sculptor Tomáš Pavlacký and architect Petr Preininger won. Their fountain consists of nine differently sized bowls made of ocher-colored high-strength concrete, over which water flows. The surface of the bowls will resemble stone, allowing people to walk between them. One of the bowls is shorter, while the others resemble vases. The fountain is intended to reference the modern architecture of Hradec Králové.

An archaeological survey has already been conducted at the site of the future fountain. Archaeologists found remnants of the so-called Jiřík's fountain. It was the oldest of the three fountains that previously stood in the Great Square, in front of the former Town Hall at No. 1. The area for the fountain will have a gravel surface with benches until its construction is completed. There will be no parking for cars in that area.

According to critics, the proposed fountain is unsuitable for the historic center due to its materials and industrial appearance. It allegedly represents a violent and insensitive contrast that does not respect the historical continuity of the place. The authors of the winning design rejected the objections. "The arguments on which the petition is based are, in our view, vague, some misleading, or completely false," stated architect Preininger in a statement for Denik.cz. The design, according to the jury, sensitively responds to the city's history while also bringing a contemporary original expression.

In the western part of the Great Square, three fountains stood successively in the past. The first, named Jiřík's fountain, was created in the second half of the 15th century and was adorned with elaborate sculptural decoration. In 1782 it was replaced by a fountain with simple decorations. After its demolition in 1873, a cast-iron fountain stood in the square until 1937. It was supposed to be replaced by a statue of Jan Žižka, which, however, did not happen.