Prague is only now issuing a contract for the transformation of Wenceslas Square

Prague - The capital city has not yet called a tender for the planned reconstruction of the lower part of Wenceslas Square. On Tuesday, the council approved only the intention to announce a tender for 250 million crowns, a decision that still needs to be confirmed by the representatives next week. The municipal office obtained a building permit for the reconstruction at the end of January. Discussions about the repairs have been ongoing for several years. Prague has had a project from the architectural office Cigler Marani Architects since 2005. After the completion of the lower part, modifications to the rest of the square are expected to follow.

The planned modifications include narrowing the roadway and widening the sidewalks, drinking fountains, and a base for placing a Christmas tree. All greenery will be irrigated using an automatic system.

The city-owned Prague Waterworks Company will also be repairing the sewer in the square, and the Prague Energy Company will reconstruct the cabling and its protectors. Collectors, or tunnels that carry cables and pipes, will also be modified. Work on the infrastructure repairs has already begun in the lower part of the square.

Originally, the city spoke of costs of 150 million crowns, but the intention to award the contract now mentions costs of a quarter of a billion. The project will also include ramps for access to future underground garages. There has been a long dispute about these garages, as they were opposed by preservationists and some politicians, while Prague 1 advocated for them.

After completing the repairs, which are expected to take about two years, the municipal office plans to reconstruct the upper part of the square as well. The basis should once again be a study by the Cigler-Marani Architects office, which proposed the transformation of the entire square. However, any modifications must first be preceded by the creation of a new collector costing around 800 million crowns. There is also talk about whether trams will return to the square, but the city has not made any decision in this regard yet. However, a change in the zoning plan is being created, which would allow the construction of tracks in the future. Trams operated here until 1980,

Wenceslas Square is 682 meters long and approximately 60 meters wide. It was originally named Horse Market and was established by a decree of Charles IV. In the 19th century, it was first renamed St. Wenceslas Square and later to Wenceslas Square.