The new concert hall in Prague is to be built on Vltavská

photo: Matěj Baťha, Wikimedia Commons

Prague - The new building for the Philharmonic should be located in Prague 7 near the Vltavská metro station. One of the reasons for the construction is the low capacity of existing concert halls in the metropolis. This follows from the material prepared for the city hall, which should be presented to the Prague councillors for discussion. The form of the building should emerge from an international architectural competition. In addition to the concert hall, there will also be a competition for the transformation of the area around the metro station. The competition should be prepared by the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR). It is not yet clear when they will do this and when the councillors will discuss the document.

"The construction of the philharmonic hall is an opportunity to elevate the entire Vltavská area, which is currently urbanistically problematic," the material states. The Vltavská area is currently neglected and underutilized.

Prague has three larger venues suitable for classical music production, namely the Rudolfinum, the Municipal House, and the Prague Congress Center. However, none of the buildings has the necessary number of seats, according to the document.

The construction of the philharmonic is expected to help improve the situation in relation to the cultivation of the north-south boulevard and the entire vicinity of Hlávkov Bridge, in addition to the space near the metro. "The potential of the chosen location is very high. Urban connections to the high-quality building of the Public Transport Company, Saint Anthony's Church, and Strossmayer Square can work in a remarkable way," the material states.

The transformation of the Vltavská area and the form of the building should arise from a two-round international architectural competition. "In the first round, the focus would be on urbanism and the building's placement, along with the overall concept for the vicinity of Hlávkov Bridge and the Vltavská area. The second round will focus on the actual architectural design of the building," the document states.

The construction of a concert hall and possible locations in Prague has been debated for many years. Recently, there was a proposal that a Stingray could be built on Štvanice Island, a project created for České Budějovice by the late architect Jan Kaplický. However, Prague has not yet taken any binding steps towards the construction of a new concert building.