Letohrad is preparing the reconstruction of Václavské náměstí

Letohrad - Letohrad in the Orlickoústecko region is preparing a reconstruction of Václavské Square, which is located in its center. There will be fewer parking spaces, and the area will be more suitable for pedestrians and gatherings of people. Martin Hatka (Association for Letohrad) said this to ČTK.

Václavské Square has a rectangular shape. On the longer opposite sides, there are townhouses with arcades. On the square, there is a Marian column, a castle that houses a museum, and the adjacent Baroque church of St. Václav. There are currently a lot of cars parked in the square.

"We are now addressing the details of where the car area will be, how to create the pedestrian space so that it doesn't feel like walking in a parking lot. Cars are a problem for cities; car traffic pushes pedestrians aside," Hatka said.

The square is intersected by a second class road, which is heavily frequented. At least the number of parking spaces in the square will be reduced. The authors of the study suggested planting new trees, adding benches, playground equipment in the pedestrian zone, water features in front of the church, and a fountain in front of the castle.

"We are finalizing the documentation for the building permit. In the meantime, we will wait for the grant call. We cannot envision repairing the square all at once without a grant," Hatka said.

In the future, cars should not be parked long-term in the square; there should be space for short-term parking so that people can run errands and leave, Hatka added.

The costs will certainly be in the tens of millions of crowns, because in addition to the modification of the area, modernization of the sewage system, water supply, and other networks is necessary. The city will seek grants from calls for so-called blue-green infrastructure. "We will collect water from roofs and surfaces and reuse it for irrigating the castle terrace, park, and greenhouse," Hatka said.