The reconstruction of the burnt Industrial Palace will begin in two years

Prague - Prague wants to start the construction of a replica of the burned wing of the Industrial Palace at the Exhibition Grounds in two years. The work will take a year and, including the project, will cost approximately 600 million crowns. In an interview with ČTK, said the councilor for culture Jan Wolf (KDU-ČSL). The building will serve for social events and as a congress hall. The future revitalization of the entire area, including the completion of the left wing of the palace, will cost 1.5 billion crowns.
    Prague has been addressing the situation around the Exhibition Grounds in Bubeneč, which is a protected monument, for several years. "The area is in a catastrophic state," said Wolf. According to the councilor, the first step will be to open the Exhibition Grounds to the public and connect it with the adjacent Stromovka. This is expected to happen in the spring. The management company Rozvojové projekty Praha will be tasked with creating a repair and further use concept for the area. The chairman Martin Kala stated in an interview with ČTK that a concrete vision will be available in a few weeks.
    Prague recently freed itself from a long-term lease agreement with the company Incheba, which some believed was disadvantageous. However, the company will continue to hold some events at the Exhibition Grounds until 2018. The city also rejected original plans that estimated the completion of the palace, which burned down in 2008, would cost three billion crowns.
    Nearly a billion will be allocated in the coming years for the repairs of historic buildings and the revitalization of the area. The costs will be covered by Prague's budget. The idea of coupling the repair of the Exhibition Grounds with private investor capital was abandoned earlier. Visible changes to the Exhibition Grounds are expected at the end of the next electoral term, which is in four years. It is possible that some of the dilapidated buildings will be demolished. For example, the discussion includes the circular theater Spirála.
    The Exhibition Grounds near Stromovka were established in 1891 on the occasion of the Jubilee Land Exhibition.