Prague plans to file a building permit application for the Vltava Philharmonic this summer

Prague – The Prague City Hall is finalizing the project documentation for the planned Vltava Philharmonic building. In the summer, it plans to submit a request for a building permit, and construction is expected to begin next year. In an interview with ČTK, the mayor's deputy Petr Hlaváček (STAN) stated that the city wants to negotiate with the state about the possibility of increasing the tourist tax, which could help finance the construction.

The Philharmonic building, the construction of which the City Hall began to prepare during the previous electoral term, will be located near the Vltavská metro station by the riverbank. At the end of last year, the project received a positive opinion in the process of assessing the proposal from an environmental perspective (EIA). According to Hlaváček, the project documentation should be completed in April, and after obtaining the necessary opinions, the City Hall plans to request a building permit in August.

The construction costs are estimated at 11.65 billion crowns according to the latest estimate. The preparation is currently keeping to the previously announced schedule, and the Philharmonic could open in 2033 in some form of trial operation. The question of financing is still open, and the city is negotiating a state contribution. Support for the construction of the Philharmonic is included in the program declaration of the current government.

Hlaváček further stated that the city wants to negotiate with the government about the possibility of increasing the tourist tax, which is currently set in the metropolis at a maximum amount of 50 crowns per person per night, and any further increase would require a change in the law. The potential revenue could, according to the deputy, go towards financing the Philharmonic or other cultural projects in the metropolis. Hlaváček added that the current level of the fee is very low in the context of European metropolises. The city has also established a foundation to finance the construction, into which companies and individuals can contribute.

The Philharmonic is to have three underground and six above-ground floors and will feature three halls – one large concert hall for about 1,800 seated people, a second chamber hall with 500 seating and standing places, and a third multifunctional hall that can accommodate 620 seated or 1,200 standing people. The Czech Philharmonic will find new facilities here, as the technically and capacity-wise outdated premises of the Rudolfinum do not allow for a full-fledged development, as well as the Symphony Orchestra of the capital city of Prague FOK and the music collections of the Prague library.