Prague will continue with the preparation of the concert hall on Vltavská

Prague – Prague will continue preparing the concert hall at Vltavská. This year, it plans to announce an international architectural competition; before that, an agreement on cooperation with the state and the financing of the construction should be clear. The city council approved the next steps today. According to the first study, the hall is estimated to cost around six billion crowns; some opposition councilors argue that the city leadership should consider involving private funds.

The biggest discussion today was sparked by the question of financing the construction. Part of the adopted resolution is that along with the request to announce the competition for the design of the hall, the city management will also submit a preliminary plan for investment and operational expenses and a proposal for a memorandum with the Ministry of Culture, in which financial co-participation from the state will be promised, along with its framework amount.

"I can rule out in advance that Prague will have enough funds if it were to finance the construction of the metro, the ring road, and the Vltava Philharmonic without significant financial help from the state. That's simple math that anyone can verify—Prague will never have such resources," said Deputy Mayor for Finance Pavel Vyhnánek (Prague Herself).

In connection with similar projects, he suggested considering the revenue side of the city budget. If the city wants to invest billions, for example, in the construction of a cultural building, it cannot have the lowest property tax in the world, the cheapest public transport, or the cheapest waste disposal in the long term. "We cannot have everything the cheapest on one side and have the goal of building expensive world-class buildings on the other," Vyhnánek stated. He added that the method of financing the construction must be clear before the competition is announced.

Opposition councilors also addressed financing in their contributions. Ivan Pilný (ANO) stated that the cost will inevitably be much higher than six billion. He believes it is unrealistic for such a construction to emerge solely from public funds. "The pragmatic reality is that it's simply not possible," he thinks. According to him, the city should initiate discussions with private investors and create a fund to start raising money from various sources. Other councilors from ANO and ODS expressed similar views.

Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09) responded that he expects private money to be involved. "I have communicated with the private sector, I see great interest, and we will discuss the implementation and timing with my colleagues," he explained.

Discussions about building a large concert hall in Prague have been ongoing for decades, and the previous city management decided on its location at Vltavská. According to the schedule arising from the first study commissioned by the city, a competition for the construction company could start at the turn of 2025 and 2026, and the building could be completed in 2032, provided there are no delays. According to the architects' recommendations, the Philharmonic should have a total of three halls – a concert hall for 1,800 spectators, a smaller one for chamber music with a capacity of 500 seats, and a multifunctional hall for other genres and types of events with a capacity of up to 700 people.