Prague plans to begin construction of a new hall at the Congress Center this year

Prague - The Supervisory Board of the Prague Congress Center Prague (KCP) is expected to approve the planned construction of a new hall at the end of November, which should subsequently be possible to initiate. Prague councilor Zdeněk Kovářík (ODS) told journalists today. The councilors approved a change in the company's supervisory board today after the capital city purchased 54.35 percent from the state this year, gaining full control.

The board members will continue to be Jaroslav Míth, Jan Smetana, and Jakub Wolf, who will be joined by Radek Lacko and Martin Sedeke. They will replace two members previously nominated by the Ministry of Finance. According to Kovářík, the reconstituted supervisory board can finally approve the investment in the new hall for which the company already has a building permit and a selected contractor.

The supervisory board will discuss the investment on November 25, according to the councilor. "This is a relatively important matter, as it will make us competitive at the largest fairs because we will be able to compete with the most important destinations," he said. He added that sufficient space is particularly essential for large medical congresses, which need room for presenting equipment and other medical supplies.

The transaction with the state to take control of KCP was approved by city councilors at the end of June this year. In exchange for the majority stake in the company, the state received Faust's House on Prague's Karlovo náměstí, land at the Homolka Hospital, a parking lot in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and 2.21 billion crowns, which the state had previously invested in the center in connection with the International Monetary Fund meeting in 2000.

The joint-stock company KCP was established on July 1, 1995. The congress center offers 70 halls and lounges for hosting events, from small conferences to large congresses, including equipment at the highest technical level. It also includes the Business Centre Vyšehrad and the four-star Holiday Inn Prague Congress Centre with a capacity of 254 rooms. Its construction took place between 1976 and 1981, and the building was renovated at the turn of the second millennium. It is a neo-functionalist structure, and its architects were Jaroslav Mayel and Antonín Vaněk.