Č. Budějovice announced a competition for the design of Senovážné Square

České Budějovice - České Budějovice announced an architectural competition for the design of Senovážné Square. An underground parking garage is to be built on the area close to the city center, as well as a building for the Alšova South Bohemian Gallery in the future. This was reported in a press release by the spokesperson for the České Budějovice city hall, Jitka Welzlová.

"In the competition brief, the city primarily mentions the requirement to uncover the channel of the Mlýnský náhon, to build an underground parking garage, and to modify the entire area from the museum building to the post office. It should be a space that offers a comprehensive urban, architectural, landscape, and transportation solution and becomes a sought-after and pleasant place for both locals and visitors,” said the Deputy Mayor Juraj Thoma (movement Citizens for Budějovice).

Senovážné Square is currently largely used as a parking lot. In the past, the area was empty and was dominated only by a large statue of V. I. Lenin. The city has been searching for the ideal form of the space for several decades. The costs for the planned reconstruction would be in the tens of millions of crowns. The public will first see the competition proposals in the middle of next year.

Thoma stated that České Budějovice have long sought to choose the most suitable proposal for their investments through architectural competitions. He reminded that the competition at the turn of the millennium led to the completion of the town hall building in Přemysla Otakara II Square, the Long Bridge, and in recent years the 4Dvory park or the Máj community center. “During this electoral term, competitions were held for the reconstruction of the Slavie cultural house, which already has a zoning decision and will have a building permit in February, as well as the House of Art, the 4Dvory apartment building, Dukelská park, which also has a building permit, the area around Juvel, where design documentation is currently being processed, and the competition for the future form of Prague Street. The city administration considers the architectural competition to be the most suitable and transparent way to assign public contracts for significant public buildings,” said the deputy.