The leadership of Prague 5 has abandoned the plan for the construction of a ceremonial hall in Sacré Coeur Park

Prague – The leadership of Prague 5 has canceled the plan to build a hall for weddings and cultural events in Sacré Coeur Park in Smíchov, a proposal that originated in the previous election period. This follows the decision of the city district councilors from the end of last year. The city district previously held an architectural competition regarding the design of the building. According to the councilors' resolution, the reasons for canceling the plan are mainly economic; the city hall wants to invest the money in building schools.

The hall, with a capacity of around 100 people, was to be located in the eastern part of the park, which is situated on the slope between Holečkova and Kartouzská streets. In addition to the hall, the building was to include a café or gallery. In the architectural competition held before the municipal elections in 2022, the proposal by architect Václav Škarda was successful. The then leadership of the city hall argued for the construction by stating that the ceremonial hall used by the city hall on Stroupežnického street is not sufficiently representative.

Since November 2022, a coalition of Prague 5 Sobě, Pirates, and SEN 21 has been in power in Prague 5, and they do not consider the construction of the ceremonial hall as an investment priority. The priority is the construction of new schools, which is necessary to ensure sufficient capacity for the children of residents in the city district. "The realization of the ceremonial hall is thus currently falling behind these priorities; future financing for the realization of the construction is not secured, and it is therefore not current to address and finance the project preparation of the proposal," states the resolution of the councilors.

The site is also deemed unsuitable for the proposal in terms of transportation. "The location of the proposal is far from public transport, so a higher pressure on the use of individual car transport and pressure on the number of parking spaces can be expected," the document states. According to the zoning plan, a kindergarten should also be established near the hall, which could lead to space issues.

The document mentions that if the economic situation improves, the proposal could be revisited in the future. It also notes the considered reconstruction of the Portheimka villa on Štefánikova street in Smíchov, which could also serve for weddings in the future. The fifth city district has approximately 86,000 inhabitants and includes Hlubočepy, Košíře, Motol, Radlice, Smíchov, and parts of Jinonice, Malá Strana, and Břevnov.