Crestyl has started demolition work for the Savarin complex in the center of Prague

Prague - The development and investment group Crestyl has started demolition work in the vicinity of Prague's Wenceslas Square for the construction of the Savarin commercial and administrative complex. Pavel Svítil, the project manager from Crestyl, informed ČTK about this. According to his estimate, the demolition work is expected to last until the end of this year, and the company plans to complete the entire complex in about five years. The costs of demolition and construction are estimated at around ten billion crowns.

"As part of the project implementation, several former industrial buildings in the courtyard will be removed, along with various non-valuable structures from the 20th century, affecting a total of five existing buildings. We are currently starting to demolish the courtyard wings of the buildings at Panská 8 and 10. Initially manually, and subsequently with the help of machinery," said Svítil. According to Svítil, the demolition will be done manually due to the requirements of conservationists. An archaeological survey will follow the demolitions gradually.

Conservationists have previously stated that they primarily insist on preserving monument-protected objects and street façades. Thus, the historical riding hall will be preserved in the courtyard between Wenceslas Square and the streets Na Příkopě, Panská, and Jindřišská, where, according to the developer, an accessible garden or a small square with greenery and benches is planned to be created around.

About 32,000 tons of material are expected to be removed from the demolished objects. Regarding traffic restrictions, according to Prague 1 spokesperson Veronika Blažková, the progress of work will be assessed and addressed in incremental steps. "Currently, minor encroachments on the street V Cípu are permitted in connection with disconnecting engineering networks. A request for the removal of material was submitted to the transportation department with a deadline from April to December. However, the application is incomplete and will need to be supplemented," added Blažková. The office's assumption for managing construction traffic is to make part of Panská Street bidirectional between the streets V Cípu and Jindřišská.

The Savarin project covers 15,000 m². It will offer spaces for shops, restaurants, relaxation, and entertainment, complemented by offices and parking spaces. Together with the historical riding hall, the baroque Piccolomini Palace (Savarin) by Kilian Ignác Dientzenhofer with a façade on Na Příkopě street will also be preserved. The author of the Savarin project is architect Jakub Cigler from Cigler Marani.