The school will be replaced by an outdoor gallery on the site of the Hotel Prague

Prague - On part of the land where the former Praha hotel stood, there will be an outdoor gallery instead of a primary school and an eight-year gymnasium Open Gate II. The family foundation of the richest Czech, Petr Kellner, and his wife Renáta still does not have all the necessary permits to start construction after two and a half years. According to the foundation, the government’s strategy for the development of secondary education also opposes the plan, limiting the possibility for the establishment of new private gymnasiums. The Kellner Family Foundation stated this in a press release today.

“In the Czech Republic, the possibility of establishing new private gymnasiums is increasingly limited, as the government’s strategy for the development of secondary education does not count on their further support. In this situation, it is much more realistic to realize a project for the establishment of a publicly accessible non-profit cultural space," the foundation stated.

The foundation will create a publicly accessible outdoor gallery and a children's playground in the lower part of the area of the demolished Praha hotel, at the site of the former garages. The gallery will feature eight sculptures and garden compositions by British sculptor Tony Cragg, which are owned by PPF Art. The neighboring residence Hadovka, which was also to be part of the school complex, will be used for the operation of a healthcare facility. In the building of the former Canadian embassy, there will be a private healthcare facility of the EUC clinic network (formerly Euroclinicum). This network operates a chain of polyclinics and laboratories in the Czech Republic. The group is owned by the investment fund Tuffieh Funds, founded by Jan Blaško.

The private school Open Gate Prague was supposed to be the second in line. Contrary to the school that has been operating in Babice near Prague since 2005, it was supposed to have double the capacity. According to the original plans, construction was to begin in January this year, with completion expected in June 2018. The procurement of the necessary permits was delayed due to appeals. The investor of the construction was said to be the PPF group.

The Hotel Praha disappeared from the Dejvice horizon in June 2014. Until November 1989, it served the needs of the Communist Party and the Czechoslovak government. The hotel complex was acquired by PPF a year before its demolition. Opinions among the general and professional public on the demolition of the Dejvice landmark varied. Some architects opposed the demolition, labeling the hotel as a unique building. Others countered that it was an average piece of architecture. PPF claimed that the structure was oversized and uneconomical.