The billiard hall in the Municipal House will open to the public

Prague - The historic billiard room in Prague's Municipal House will open to the public next year. Until now, it was only used for balls and private events. Now it will be combined with the café and anyone will be able to play there. The art nouveau billiard room is also connected to card salons, said the director of the Municipal House, Tomáš Vacek, to reporters today.
    "The billiard room is the largest space that has been publicly inaccessible," Vacek stated, who became the director of the art nouveau monument in February and aimed to open it as much as possible to the public. He is not afraid of possible damage to the historical spaces. According to the director, they will be monitored by cameras. The billiard tables are replicas as well.
    The Municipal House has also launched a new website, which will fully operate from next year. Current Czech and English will be supplemented by German, Japanese, Spanish, Italian, and Russian, Vacek noted. There will also be an option for online ticket reservations and an online shop for souvenirs, he added.
    According to Vacek, the halls of the Municipal House are being used more than before. "From short-term rentals, we have gained 15 million crowns more than last year while keeping the same prices," Vacek pointed out. In the first ten months of this year, the profit of the joint-stock company Municipal House, owned by the city of Prague, reached about 25 million crowns. Last year's profit was approximately 12 million crowns.
    Visitor numbers have also increased. Last year, about 16,650 people visited the Municipal House; this year, about 1,550 more have already come. Ticket sales for tours increased by 110,000 crowns to 3.78 million crowns, Vacek reported.
    According to him, costs have been reduced by about ten percent, by laying off several people from management and other cost-saving measures. The Municipal House will use the money for repairs, maintenance, and charitable events. Next year, it expects a renovation of the elevators, some of which are already in a critical condition, the director added.
    The Municipal House is also preparing a logo; it currently presents itself with a name formed in art nouveau lettering. A competition for its design will be announced in January.