Bem: Prague will announce a competition for the completion of the Old Town Hall

Prague - The Prague City Hall intends to announce an architectural competition next year for the completion of the Old Town Hall, which was damaged at the end of World War II. The competition will likely be international. Mayor Pavel Bém announced this at a press conference today.
"The Old Town Hall is an endless topic that has been brought up many times in the history of Prague," he stated. According to Bém, the City Hall is now evaluating all architectural competitions that have been held for the completion of the hall in the past. "We want to learn from these materials so that we do not repeat some mistakes," explained the mayor.
The City Hall plans to conduct a public presentation of all original proposals for the completion of the monument, as well as to form a professional group of heritage experts and architects who will create the tender documentation for the new architectural competition based on these proposals.
"The first half of next year will be conducted in the spirit of expert debates, from which a definitive decision on how the competition's assignment will sound should emerge sometime during the summer, that is, in a year," said Bém. "We will want the competition to be funded so that the architects have an incentive to apply," he added. According to Bém, however, announcing the competition does not mean that the City Hall will actually select one of the competition proposals and complete the hall.
The Old Town Hall became the center of self-government for the Old Town of Prague in 1338 when the townspeople received consent from King John of Luxembourg for its establishment. During the last days of occupation in World War II, the Czech National Council operated underground in the hall. The Nazis shelled and set fire to the building on May 7 and 8, 1945. The eastern and northern wings facing the Church of Our Lady before Týn were completely destroyed, and the tower with the astronomical clock and chapel were also damaged. For the 30th anniversary of liberation, the demolished part of the hall was repaired. Later, Prague held several competitions for the completion of the destroyed section, but the completion never took place.