Young architects laid the foundation stone of the new National Library

Prague - Students and graduates of the Prague Faculty of Architecture laid the cornerstone of the new National Library in Letná. The happening was not, according to the organizers, in support of the library's construction, but rather a jab at the public and the political representation. The entire event began at 14:34, a time reminiscent of the year of the famous battle of Lipany. So far, it seems that the library faces a similar defeat.
"One of the messages is that one should not forget about books for the library itself, and perhaps it’s also a message to politicians that it’s good to forget about squabbles and start cooperating and contributing to completing it successfully,” said one of the organizers, Dominik Herzán, an editor of the online magazine e-architekt, to ČTK. According to him, building the library is a matter of courage. If Charles IV had not decided to build a cathedral on the hill, which was completely against the logic of medieval cities, or if a baroque St. Nicholas Church had not been built, Prague would be poorer by two of its most beautiful monuments.
The cornerstone was a black chest inscribed with R.I.P., which, according to the organizers, can mean two things - better build it immediately or better halt it immediately. Inside, they placed a cube from Prague's mosaic and a plush dog. The dog was buried underground so that it would be known where the dog is buried in the case of the library.
"At the beginning, I expected that since Mr. Kaplický won and he does not know Czech realities well, he would be very disillusioned with the approach, and that came true. But I was surprised at how disillusioned one can really be,” Herzán added.
Young architects approached the whole happening with a considerable sense of irony. They suggested, for instance, how the library could still be built without delays. The Prague mayor could exchange part of the land with his Brno counterpart Roman Onderka - part of Letná for lucrative plots in Cejl. Onderka could then agree with the director of the National Library on the free rental of Letná.