In the competition for the footbridge project over Štvanice Island, 48 proposals were submitted

Prague - A total of 48 designs have been submitted for the architectural competition for a footbridge connecting Holešovice with Karlín over Štvanice Island. The press spokesman for the Institute of Planning and Development of Prague, Marek Vácha, informed ČTK about this. The expert committee is set to evaluate the proposals on September 6 and 7. The winning proposal should be selected by the end of September. The existing zoning plan also includes the construction of the footbridge. The bridge will facilitate access for pedestrians and cyclists to the island and will provide another connection between Holešovice and Karlín, which has also been serviced by the HolKa ferry since the summer of 2015.

"Štvanice Island is attractive primarily for its sports and recreational potential. Particularly the lower Holešovice area struggles with a lack of green spaces, and Štvanice is basically the closest available place that people from this part of Prague 7 can go to for greenery. That is why we initiated the architectural competition for the footbridge to Štvanice, which will improve the connection between the left bank of the Vltava River and the island," said Lenka Burgerová (Prague 7 for itself), Prague 7 councilor for development, to ČTK.

In 2012, the Prague City Hall announced an architectural competition for the renewal of the island. Although the architectural competition for the footbridge is not related to the competition for the revitalization of the island, the competition conditions included a recommendation for competitors to consider the connection to the winning conceptual study on the revitalization of Štvanice Island and to collaborate with a landscape architect, Vácha stated.

"The situation in the competition for Štvanice is complicated by the fact that the jury did not award the first prize, and the proposal for second place presupposes relatively high costs. Additionally, the court dispute with the previous tenant is still unresolved. Therefore, a final decision on how to handle the competition results has not yet been made," said Petra Kolínská (Greens/Trojkoalice), Deputy for Spatial Development, to ČTK regarding the competition for the revitalization of the island.

The City Hall is preparing repairs to the Fuchs café, reconstruction of damaged paths, and smaller adjustments such as the establishment of picnic areas. Štvanice is gradually coming to life. Trees have been planted on the island, and new benches are available. Villa Štvanice is operating there, hosting festivals and theatrical productions.

On the Holešovice bank of the Vltava River, the entrance to the footbridge will be located on Bubenské nábřeží in front of the entrance to the Prague market, and in Karlín, it will lead onto the cycle path along the flood barrier. The footbridge will span 38 meters between Karlín and Štvanice and 149 meters between Štvanice and Holešovice.

The competition for the footbridge connecting Karlín and Holešovice was previously announced by Prague 7 in 1999. The winning design became unfeasible due to changes in flood protection measures after 2002. Therefore, new designs must consider the potential rise in the water level of the Vltava River.