Experts still disagree on the modifications to Old Town Square

Prague - Experts still do not agree on whether to complete the Prague Old Town Hall or to reconstruct the Marian Column, which was torn down by a crowd of Prague residents 90 years ago. This question has been debated throughout the 20th century. In the commission established this year by the Prague City Hall to assess the necessity of possible changes in the Old Town Square, the votes for are balanced by the votes against. CTK was informed of this by art historian and chair of the commission Jiří Kotalík. There are currently no materials for a well-informed discussion.
    The idea of completing the Old Town Hall was revived by the ODS before the municipal elections. In February 2008, the City Hall decided to prepare an exhibition of previous competitive designs for a new town hall, to be conducted under the supervision of a professional working group, as well as to carry out a structural and historical survey of the square and organize a professional conference. "The current state of the square is a long-term unsustainable temporary solution," said Kotalík in this context.
    However, according to Kotalík, experts have not yet engaged in a more serious discussion. The exhibition of competitive designs was opened in March at the Old Town Hall and later moved to a small park at the site of the former eastern wing. According to Jan Kněžínka, director of the city’s heritage protectors, it will be extended due to high interest.
    The structural and historical survey of the square is currently underway. The archaeological survey recommended by the city’s experts in May is still awaiting approval by the city hall. The professional conference, according to Kotalík, should take place in the spring of 2009.
    The potential completion of the Old Town Hall depends on the professional conference and the results of the archaeological survey. "So far, no one has been able to define what the new building should be used for," Kotalík said. The results should also indicate what the furnishings, paving, greenery, and lighting in the square should be like.
    The commission tasked with overseeing the potential changes in the square includes, besides Jiří Kotalík and Jan Kněžínka, archaeologist Zdeněk Dragoun, director of the National Heritage Institute Pavel Jerie, and the head of its Prague branch Michael Zachař, architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš, and director of the National Gallery Milan Knížák.
    The Old Town Hall became the center of self-governance of Old Town Prague in 1338 when the townspeople obtained permission from King John of Luxembourg to establish it.
    The eastern wing of the old town hall building was demolished in 1838. A new one was created according to the design of Vienna architect Peter Nobile. However, from the beginning, Nobile's building was not considered successful, and so the city announced a competition for a new building as early as 1901. In May 1945, the town hall building was shelled and set on fire by the German army. It completely destroyed the eastern and northern wings facing the Church of Our Lady before Týn and also damaged the tower with the astronomical clock and chapel. A park was created on the site of the destroyed parts.
    Since 1901, eight other competitions have been held, the last one in 1988. The results of none of them were sufficiently convincing.
    The Marian Column was erected in the Old Town Square in 1650 by Emperor Ferdinand III, who wanted to honor the heroic deeds of the Prague residents during the siege of the city by the Swedes. On November 3, 1918, it was torn down by firefighters from Žižkov, led by anarchist, writer, and bohemian František Sauer, as a supposed symbol of post-Battle of White Mountain Habsburg and Catholic oppression.