The owner wants to open the Barrandov Terraces with the hotel in three years

Prague - In three years, according to the owner's plans, the once-famous Barrandov Terraces should come to life again. The functionalist building from 1928 by architect Max Urban began to be renovated after many years in mid-September. Two restaurants are to be created in the building. The original structure will be supplemented by a new hotel building, which is expected to help finance the project. Journalists were informed about this today by architects, who are working on the renovation and new construction, as representatives of the investor. The owner, Liberec entrepreneur Michalis Dzikos, did not disclose the amount he will invest in the restoration of the once-famous building.

According to older estimates by Dzikos's former collaborator Jaromír Hrdlička, the investment is expected to be between 200 to 500 million crowns. Dzikos specializes in the renovation of architectural monuments from the First Republic and has reconstructed, for example, Mandelík's villa near Kolín into the hotel Chateau Kotěra, and converted a former bank in Zelný trh in Brno into Hotel Grandezza. He cooperated on that project with architect Ondřej Kukral, who also prepared the reconstruction of the Barrandov Terraces.

In the initial phase of the renovation, additional structures, extensions, or cladding, as well as latex paint and wallpaper in the interior, were removed. Kukral stated today that all modifications are occurring in accordance with the conservationists. However, the historic building will not be restored in a memorial manner, as changes will be necessary due to significant noise around the construction, for example, windows will have to be different, air conditioning is essential, and further modifications are necessary for the intended operation.

After the repair and activation of the historic building, a new two-story hotel will rise in close proximity. Its project comes from the renowned studio Kuba Pilař architects. The destroyed bar Trilobit will not be restored. Dzikos has owned the area through the company Barrandovské terasy since 2001 and has announced the start of renovation several times. He has had a building permit since 2011, and the project dates back to 2004. The apartment hotel will consist of two buildings, one is to replicate the original shape of the terraces, while the other will stand at the very tip of the plateau, architect Ladislav Kuba stated today.

"This is quite a challenging task, as the public has envisioned the Barrandov Terraces in their original form as a cult excursion restaurant with outdoor terraces. However, in this First Republic form, they cannot function today because the surroundings have completely changed - a once quiet place in the middle of nature is now literally surrounded by busy roads, making noise prevent staying on the outdoor terraces. That is why the restaurant also ceased to operate," Kuba previously told ČTK about the project. "The site has many restrictions. Our main problem was how to meet the investor's requirements and what relationship the new construction should have with the original restaurant," he stated.

The conservationists were reluctant to reconcile with the irreversible future construction of the outdoor part of the terraces. However, Ondřej Šefců, head of the regional office of the National Heritage Institute, previously acknowledged that it probably was not realistic to only restore the restaurant building - several investors had stepped back from such an idea. However, what is important according to him is that the building, which is a cultural monument, will be saved, even at the cost of additional construction in the vicinity.

The original building should remain accessible to the public, including the once-famous French restaurant. However, it should become a Czech restaurant, while in the other, where there used to be a café, there will be a lighter bistro with international cuisine. Both restaurants will be run by chef Robert Chejn, who has been operating the hotel with restaurant Chateau Kotěra since 2004.

Beneath the newly constructed hotel, the overgrown ruins of the ski jump will likely stand for some time, as a common solution for the once interconnected areas of the terraces and pool beneath the cliffs has not been found. The pool has not been operational since the 1950s. The land under the cliff belongs to the wife of Ivan Havel, the brother of former President Václav Havel.