There will be a tender announced for the creators of the pavilion for Expo 2010

Prague - The General Commissioner of Expo 2010, Pavel Stehlík, will announce a public competition on Tuesday for the design of the Czech pavilion. The world exhibition will take place in 2010 in Shanghai, and its theme is Better City - Better Life. The winner of the competition will prepare a concept for the cladding of the Czech pavilion and develop an interior design. The estimated value of the contract is 185 million crowns, said Bibiana Beňová, spokesperson for the general commissioner, in response to a query from ČTK. The pavilion is intended to promote the country primarily on economic and cultural grounds and is to fulfill the Czech motto Fruits of Civilization.
    Czechia wants to present itself in China as a modern, developed, and prosperous country, an attractive tourist destination, and an interesting investment space. According to Beňová, thirty percent of the pavilion's area is to be reserved for economic activities and the economic promotion of the country. The pavilion will include a meeting room for representatives of the Czech Republic as well as business entities. According to Stehlík's earlier statements, those interested in creating the pavilion will have ample space for their own imagination. Creative and innovative proposals will have a good chance of success.
    The Czech Republic obtained a pavilion with an area of 2000 square meters in the exhibition area this January. One square meter will cost approximately 316,000 crowns. This is roughly one-fifth less than what the state paid per square meter at the last world exhibition, which took place in 2005 in Aichi, Japan. However, the total amount allocated for China is 200 million higher, as there will be a double-sized pavilion. The presentation of the Czech Republic in Shanghai will cost 520 million crowns, of which 34 percent of the total budget is reserved for the implementation and operation of the Czech stand and its content at the world exhibition.
    With an expected attendance of 70 million people during the exhibition, which lasts for six months, it can be anticipated that up to 30,000 visitors will pass through the Czech pavilion daily, Beňová said. By July of this year, 211 participating countries and organizations had already registered for the exhibition. It can therefore be assumed that the selection of the pavilion's creator will be crucial for the success of the Czech presentation at Expo 2010.
    At the last Expo exhibition in Japan, the Czech pavilion took the form of a relaxation space with optical and sound objects that visitors could touch. The interactive Garden of Music and Fantasy was seen by nearly 1.7 million visitors. The exhibition was accompanied by a series of cultural events, including showcases of glass, film, visual arts, and music. Czech regions were also presented.
    For the world exhibition Expo 2010 in China, the Czech Republic already has an official logo. Its design, in accordance with the theme of the entire event, refers to national colors and urban life. The logo was created in the studio of Aleš Najbrt, one of the most well-known Czech graphic designers.
    Czechia has already recorded one success in Shanghai, in one of the areas of the complex where some of the best contemporary urban planning solutions will be showcased. In the category titled Livable City, Prague's flood protection system with mobile barriers scored points. Prague triumphed among 113 proposals from 86 world cities.
    Czechia recorded its greatest success in the history of the Expo exhibitions, which dates back to 1851, in 1958 in Brussels. The then Czechoslovak exhibition was located in a sober building shaped like an inverted letter L composed of three windowless cubes. The pavilion was clad in yellow panels adorned with a mosaic of amber glass, behind which stood the semi-circular restaurant Prague. The exhibition unexpectedly received the highest award in the overall evaluation, the Golden Star, along with dozens of other awards.