The expert group will once again address the Old Town Square

Prague - Due to the potential restoration and completion of Old Town Square, Prague will reconvene an expert group. The council today approved the addition of its members. Lukáš Kaucký (ČSSD) told reporters today. The expert group, led by art historian Jiří Kotalík, previously recommended that the city announce a conceptual competition for the revitalization of the square. The previous city leadership approved the plan before the autumn elections, but nothing has happened since then.
      "Any ideas about what Old Town Square should look like in the future are the task of the newly established commission," Kaucký said. He expects its results within a few months, and the final verdict could come in the next two to three years.
      "At this moment, I wouldn’t want to predict; there are many options," he added. One possibility, according to him, is also the completion of the square at the site of the demolished part of the town hall. Whether a new building will rise in Old Town Square should be decided by the expert commission.
      The appearance of one of the most famous Czech squares has been debated by architects for over 100 years; since 1901, several architectural competitions have been announced on this topic. However, none of the proposals has been realized.
      The most emotions arise from the gap created after the non-original, Neo-Gothic, so-called Nobile part of the town hall, which was destroyed at the end of the Second World War. Instead, there is now a park. While some architects and urban planners recommend leaving the place undeveloped, others have previously proposed various styles of completion. There is also discussion about the reinstatement of the Marian Column, which was torn down after the fall of the Habsburg monarchy. It was mistakenly regarded as its symbol.