H. Králové will announce an architectural competition for the street with the communist monument

Hradec Králové – Hradec Králové will announce an architectural and artistic competition in mid-May for the transformation of the space on U Koruny Street. At its center is a massive concrete monument from the socialist era called the Gallery of Honor. The solution should include a new use for the monument. The city hall would like to have the results of the architectural competition by the end of the year. This was mentioned today to journalists by the deputy mayor for urban planning and heritage care, Adam Záruba (Change for Hradec).

The announcement of the architectural competition has been prepared by the city hall since last autumn. In the competition brief, they incorporated comments and opinions from artists, historians, and architects as well as public opinions. The city commissioned the planning office ONplan to prepare and organize the competition. The city council approved the announcement of the competition on Tuesday.

The competition will be in two rounds. "In the first phase, anyone who meets the competition participation conditions can submit a concept for the space. From the submitted concepts, the expert jury will select at least three and a maximum of five concepts in an anonymous process, whose authors will be invited by the city to submit more detailed proposals," Záruba stated. In the second round, the jury will evaluate the best proposals, and the city will negotiate with the competition winner about completing the project.

According to Záruba, the future of the concrete monument Gallery of Honor, which is a historical document of visual culture during the era of real socialism, should be a challenge for the participants of the competition. The Gallery of Honor consists of two concrete blocks, at the junction of which is a relief of a large five-pointed star. On one block, most of the letters from the inscription "The People are the Main Creators of History" remain. During socialism, photographs of esteemed Hradec communists and workers recognized by communists hung on the monument. In the past, the city hall considered demolishing the monument.

The entire area that architects will address is defined by U Koruny Street, Sukovy Sady, and Gočárova Avenue. Competitors will also be able to propose modifications to the entire U Koruny Street, which the city has been considering for reconstruction for many years. "The location at U Koruny should appear friendly, dignified, and representative after revitalization," Záruba stated.

The actual reconstruction of the space, which will include the construction of roadways, sidewalks, and new greenery, could, according to Záruba, cost tens of millions of crowns.