A new fountain will be added to Bethlehem Square in Prague, costing 6.5 million

Prague – A new fountain will be added to Bethlehem Square in Prague 1 by autumn. The spokesperson for the city district, Petr Bidlo, informed CTK about this. According to him, the total costs for its construction will amount to 6.5 million crowns. Architect Martin Sedlák drew inspiration for the design from a fountain that used to stand in the second courtyard of Prague Castle. The district has previously replaced the pavement in the square and added two trees and eight benches.

The fountain with the lion sculpture that inspired the architect stood at Prague Castle from 1967 until the end of the 1980s, when it was damaged and subsequently removed. Only the lion sculpture remains, which is now located on a pylon in front of the northern entrance to the Castle. One of the co-authors of the original fountain was Jaroslav Fragner, who designed the reconstruction of the Bethlehem Chapel in the 1950s.

"Architect Sedlák chose a very sensitive approach, which he thoroughly discussed with conservationists. He built upon the creative legacy of Jaroslav Fragner, embodied in the current form of the Bethlehem Chapel, and designed the water feature in a sensitive variant for the square," said the mayor of Prague 1, Petr Hejma (STAN). Sedlák stated that the original fountain at Prague Castle is primarily referenced by the crossed nozzle, whose streams go in two directions. "They complement, in my opinion appropriately, the elongated shape of the square," he said.

Bidlo added that the costs of 6.5 million crowns include all activities related to the installation of the new water feature. "This amount includes the production of the fountain, underground technology, connections to water, electricity, and sewage, as well as the foundation for setting up the Christmas tree in Bethlehem Square," he said.