Prague 10 plans a study of the town hall area, it will be reconstructed

Prague – The leadership of Prague 10 is planning, in addition to the reconstruction of its town hall on Vršovická Street for approximately one billion crowns, adjustments to its surroundings. As city district representatives said to journalists today, an architectural-urban competition for the entire area stretching from the city district office to the Eden shopping center is planned to be announced in the spring. It should also include a proposal for the solution of the dilapidated cultural house, about which it has still not been decided whether the town hall will repair it or have it demolished.

"We understand the area as the natural center of Vršovice," stated the deputy mayor of the city district Martin Valovič (ODS). He added that the city district will collaborate with the Czech Chamber of Architects on the competition.

According to him, new residential construction could arise in the area behind the Eden cultural house, which has been closed and deteriorating for 17 years. In front of the shopping center, there will be a container starting Monday for a month, where representatives of the city district will collect suggestions from residents.

The reconstruction of the town hall, according to Mayor Renata Chmelová (Vlasta), should be completed in 2024 and will include repairs to both the exteriors and interiors of the extensive complex from the 1970s. According to city district representatives, for 30 years there has been almost no investment in it, and it is now in a lamentable technical state. According to deputy mayor Martin Sekal (ODS), water is leaking into the building's basements, the electrical system is in poor condition, and there is no air conditioning, so the temperature in the offices significantly exceeds 30 degrees during the summer months.

The town hall wants to finance the reconstruction costs partly with an already approved grant from the Ministry of the Environment of 219 million crowns and then with a half-billion interest-free loan from the Prague magistrate. This has already been approved by the councilors, and on Thursday, the representatives of the capital discussed it, but no final decision has been made yet. According to Sekal, the reconstruction also includes, for example, the use of rainwater or photovoltaic panels on the roof. Savings on operations after reconstruction should reach tens of millions annually, added the deputy mayor.

During the reconstruction, the office will have to be closed, so officials will have to move temporarily. "We want to move in the second half of 2021, and at this moment, an open selection procedure for alternative premises is underway," said Sekal.

Previous leaderships of Prague 10 considered various options on how to address the situation with the building. Initially, a plan was created to build a new town hall at an estimated cost of 775 million crowns, but civic associations and the opposition condemned the project as overpriced at that time, and it was ultimately abandoned. Then the possibility of moving the town hall to an unused school in Strašnice was considered. Finally, the city district decided in the last electoral period to reconstruct the current building.