Praha 5 will propose that the new bridge over the Vltava be named Havlův or Zlíchovský

Prague – The Prague 5 City Hall will propose that the planned new bridge over the Vltava River between Podolí and Smíchov be named Havlův or Zlíchovský. This week, the city council of the district reached a resolution on this. The city hall refers to the bridge project as Dvorecký. The city council must approve names in the metropolis based on proposals from the city hall's geographical commission, which Prague 5 intends to present its suggestions to.

The new bridge will connect Prague 4 with Prague 5, and the city hall plans to start its construction in the middle of next year. The construction will take two to three years. The bridge will serve trams, buses, cyclists, and pedestrians and is intended to improve the transport connection between both banks of the Vltava.

The proposal to name the bridge Havlův refers, according to the document approved by the city council of Prague 5, to the first Czech president Václav Havel, as well as to his grandfather Václav Havel and uncle Miloš Havel. The second proposed name is derived from local geography, as the bridge will end on the left bank of the river in Zlíchov.

The city hall now refers to the planned bridge as Dvorecký, but according to the leadership of Prague 5, the name Zlíchovský is more appropriate. "The location of the bridge was originally planned to terminate at the site of the original settlement and today's public transport stop Dvorce, but during the preparations, it was shifted north, and the bridge no longer directs towards Dvorce today," states the document. It is also appropriate, according to the city hall, to remind that Zlíchov was the site of some of the hardest fighting during the Prague Uprising at the end of World War II.

The eastern termination of the bridge will be at Žluté lázně north of Jeremenkovy Street, and the western termination will be near the Lihovar tram stop. The length will be 388 meters, and the width will be 16 meters. The construction includes both abutments of the bridge, including a footbridge for cyclists, retaining walls, and artworks. The project also includes a design for a new tram stop.

The naming or renaming of public spaces in Prague is approved by the city council. Anyone can submit a proposal. Suggestions are first discussed by the city hall of the respective district. After approval by its leadership, it is forwarded to the city hall's geographical commission. If they agree with it, it will then be discussed by the Prague city council. According to the law, the naming of public spaces cannot be after anyone living.