Prague will start charging tourists an entrance fee for the paternoster in the New Town Hall

Prague – The Prague City Hall plans to close off free access to the paternoster lift on the ground floor of the New Town Hall at Mariánské Square and start charging an entry fee for visiting it. The city council approved the tender for interior modifications to the building today. In April, the City Hall temporarily shut down the lift due to an influx of tourists who came to see and ride the technical monument. The intention was criticized by the chairman of Prague's ANO party, Ondřej Prokop. The City Hall also plans to restore the statues on the roof of the New Town Hall.

The paternoster appeared in a video guide to Prague, Honest Guide, several years ago. Since then, the number of tourists visiting the public-access building of the city hall to see this interesting technical monument has begun to increase. Before the temporary shutdown of the lift, it was not uncommon for dozens of people to gather in the ground floor area by the lift during the day.

In April, the office said that tourists did not respect the safety guidelines, the excessive load was damaging the lift, and the movement of large numbers of people in the building complicated the operation of the town hall. The decision approved today aims to resolve the issue while still allowing the paternoster to be seen. "The proposed modifications will allow access for individuals intending to visit the paternoster lift without disrupting the normal operation of the building as an administrative facility," states the approved document.

According to the materials, the lift will be separated by corridor walls made from oak-glassed panels located on the second floor of the building. Modifications will include the installation of a payment terminal and QR code scanner at the turnstiles by the rear entrance to the town hall, which is located right next to the lift. The collection of entrance fees will be handled by the city company Prague City Tourism.

"Another benefit includes improving the climate conditions of the building during the heating season, as the space of the paternoster lift will be separated from the rest of the building, thereby interrupting the chimney effect that occurs through the lift shaft," the document further states. The City Hall will announce a tender for the modifications with an estimated value of 2.7 million crowns excluding VAT.

"The paternoster will become another overpriced tourist attraction, which the general public will lose interest in, because they do not want to pay inflated entrance fees," criticized the City Hall's plan Prokop.

The council also approved the announcement of another public contract for the restoration of the statues located on the upper part of the facade of the New Town Hall. According to the approved document, there are cracks and fissures on them, which, if neglected, could pose a danger of injury to passersby in the future. The estimated value of the contract is 6.4 million crowns. The city leadership also approved the announcement of a tender for 5.5 million crowns excluding VAT for a company that will ensure service for diesel generators in the New Town Hall until 2027.

The paternoster is a type of lift with a continuous chain of cabins. The first revolving lift in the world was installed in 1884 in London. Paternosters are no longer classified as lifts but as other machinery. Therefore, lift regulations do not apply to them, and they can continue to be operated. There are several preserved paternosters in Prague, including in the Town Hall of Prague 1 on Vodíčkova Street, in several ministry buildings, at the Czech Radio headquarters on Vinohradská Street, or in the Škodův palác on Jungmannova Street.