Pardubice are considering the transformation of Palackého třída, waiting for an update on the study

Pardubice - The city of Pardubice is updating the study according to which it plans to transform Palackého třída. The document is from 2018 and has shortcomings. Whether the city council ultimately decides to proceed with the reconstruction according to the study is uncertain. It would be a significant investment that the city hall cannot manage in the current period. This was stated by Mayor Jan Nadrchal (ANO). The long street leads from the train station to the center, and architects believe it deserves a transformation.

"It is an urban boulevard that is subject to the ravages of time. It bears the marks of its era. The surfaces need improvements. Whether a modification of the street profile is necessary is a question. However, I certainly do not think it would be a disgrace for the city," said the mayor.

From the station to the end of Palackého třída is over a kilometer. According to the mayor, restoring the whole section will be expensive. "It will probably be a very costly matter. If we decide on the investment, it is good to do it in stages. Next year there are elections, and if all goes well, we could have the documentation, but I do not think we will break ground," said the mayor.

The first step will be the update of the study. "We are waiting for an offer for the update, and based on what we receive, we will decide whether we will proceed. The first study did not address issues around utilities properly. In the past, the city attempted to announce a tender for a designer for documentation for zoning decisions, which failed due to the incomplete study," said the mayor.

The study previously pointed out that the avenue does not appear attractive or cohesive. During random repairs and furniture exchanges, more than twenty types of surfaces were used, there are 12 types of bike racks, or seven different types of public lamps. The plan was to give the street a uniform face and offer spaces where people would want to spend time, so it would not just be a transit area for pedestrians.

On Palackého třída, there are buildings mostly constructed at the turn of the 1960s and 1970s. Previously, there was older development, which the city demolished, including the synagogue. In its place now stands the House of Services. The former barracks site has been occupied by the Prior department store, today's Tesco, since 1973.

Other plans for a hotel, concert hall, and cinema were not realized in the 1970s on today’s Masaryk Square. The hotel and polyclinic building are from the 1980s. Further commercial development occurred at both ends until the new millennium. The shape of Palackého třída will also be influenced by projects from private companies that own land from the former distillery and Prokop factory.

"Part of the study included a proposal to commemorate the synagogue. It was to be a memorial in the form of a copper strip on the sidewalk. Right now, it stands still because we do not know if we will embark on the revitalization of Palackého třída. If we are only doing it partially, the reminder of the synagogue will be a separate project," said Nadrchal.