The modifications of Prague's Stromovka have been completed for 71.5 million crowns

Eva Kmentová and Olbram Zoubek, children's playground in Stromovka, 1961, photo: www.praha.eu

Prague - The Prague City Hall has completed work in the central part of Stromovka, where builders have reconstructed water areas, paths, and built two new ponds over the last three years. The revamped part of the park was officially opened today by Mayor Adriana Krnáčová (ANO) and Councillor for Infrastructure Jana Plamínková (STAN/Trojkoalice). The work cost 71.5 million crowns, and the city still needs to resolve the issue of benches and bins, which are expected to be replaced next year with new models from a recent design competition.

Modifications to the famous park in Bubenč began in 2015 with repairs to three existing ponds and the reconstruction of the historic Rudolf’s tunnel, which supplies them with water from the Vltava River. Although the elevation of the river and water areas is only a few centimeters, the tunnel manages to bring enough water to the ponds, partly due to the underground waters present in the area. It is precisely in these places, where a large Rudolf's pond from the 16th century used to be, that the ground collapsed during the construction of the Blanka tunnel.

After the repairs of the existing water areas, the city hall decided to build two new ponds in a constantly waterlogged meadow nearby. This has created a new system of ponds. An islet in one of them is connected to the shore by a small raft, which, according to Plamínková, is very popular with young park visitors in favorable weather. A water jet has also been created in one of the ponds. Waterfowl, including not only ducks but also coots, quickly settled in the new water areas.

During the works, more than four kilometers of paths were reconstructed or newly built, and the city has also connected 2.3 hectares of unused land from the adjacent Exhibition Grounds to Stromovka. "This was the largest investment project in Stromovka in recent decades, and I hope that there will be peace in the central part of Stromovka Park for many years to come, as no similarly large project will be needed," said Plamínková.

According to Krnáčová, the city hall will want to equip the renovated part of the park with new furniture as soon as possible, which is expected to gradually replace the existing one throughout Prague. A proposal is now ready, and the first benches and bins could be manufactured by mid-next year. "I will try to arrange for the bins to be installed here in Stromovka a bit earlier, preferably for the spring season," said the mayor. Until then, the old furniture will remain in place, as the bins will still need to be installed.

After years, the city hall has also begun renovating the nearby building of the former Šlechtova Restaurant, where hospitality services are expected to return. Repairs costing 123 million crowns started in June and are set to last 22 months. Recently, the city hall also opened a renewed children's playground in Stromovka with play elements created more than 50 years ago by sculptors Olbram Zoubek and his wife Eva Kmentová.

Stromovka, or the Royal Game Reserve, is the largest and one of the oldest parks in Prague. It was likely founded in 1268 by King Přemysl Otakar II as a hunting reserve. It was first opened to the public in 1804.