A tender has been announced for the analysis of the usability of the concert hall in Prague

Stanislav Bažant: Philharmonic Hall at Vltavská

Prague - The Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City has announced a competition for the preparation of a feasibility analysis for the planned concert hall in Prague. The contract price is 6.5 million crowns, and the deadline for its completion is six months. Interested parties can apply for the tender until January 15, according to the public procurement bulletin. The concert hall is to be built in the area of Vltavská metro station, with its opening expected in 2030.

The analysis is to present the most suitable solution for the use of the location, formulate the best construction program for the building, and the manner of its operation. It is also meant to find the most advantageous way of financing investments and operations. Additionally, it should address other significant questions essential for the realization of the overall construction and operational program.

A project team led by architect Martin Krupauer is working on the construction of the new concert hall within the capital city. He is also the chairman of the committee of the city council for the establishment of the concert hall, which was established in October. "The new music center will serve as an initiation point and a symbol of the transformation of one of the largest and most important Prague brownfields, Bubny - Zátory. It should be a vibrant, open, and fully utilized space for all Prague residents and visitors to the metropolis," said the mayor's deputy Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) some time ago.

According to estimates, the construction of the concert house with the most modern parameters, with a hall accommodating about 2,000 listeners, should cost approximately four billion crowns. An additional 2.5 to three billion crowns will need to be invested in infrastructure at Vltavská, according to Hlaváček.

Discussions about building a large concert hall in Prague have been ongoing for decades. The most debated issue was the suitable location. In the 1990s, a hall could have been built in Letná - at the site where the National Library was also considered to be built according to the design of architect Jan Kaplický. Japanese investors wanted to donate the building to the Czech Philharmonic for its 100th anniversary. The then Minister of Culture Milan Uhde and Mayor Milan Kondr rejected their offer.