The gallery wants to have the first feasibility study for the repair of the Trade Fair Palace in September

Prague – The National Gallery Prague (NGP) is starting to prepare the reconstruction of the functionalist Trade Fair Palace in Prague 7, its main exhibition space and facilities. By September next year, a preliminary feasibility study should be created, which will primarily assess the condition and use of the building. The actual reconstruction of the palace is planned only after the artworks are stored in the currently unbuilt repository in Jinonice. This was stated by NGP spokesperson Jana Holcová in response to a query from ČTK.

The Trade Fair Palace has a total area of 67,500 m², making it one of the largest exhibition complexes in Central Europe. "The feasibility study is a fundamental step towards a decision on its future operation and possible reconstruction," Holcová stated. The preliminary feasibility study will be further developed by the main study. The Ministry of Culture has promised 300 million crowns for their preparation.

The palace was already under renovation in the 1980s and 1990s, following a fire in 1974 that devastated the building from the 1920s. After the reconstruction, NGP opened the palace exactly 30 years ago, on December 13, 1995. From that time, outdated and currently malfunctioning technologies have persisted.

"The Trade Fair Palace was not built for the purpose of storing and exhibiting artworks in exhibition spaces or repositories. The reconstruction after the fire did not fully meet the requirements of an art museum, particularly regarding insulation that should ensure stability of temperature and humidity in exhibition and storage spaces regardless of external conditions," the spokesperson described.

There is typically a problem with maintaining stable humidity and temperature in the palace during the summer and winter months. The internal climate is stabilized by air conditioning, cooling towers, steam generators, or compressors. The frequency of failures in the existing equipment in the palace is increasing, and replacement parts are no longer available.

Although the reconstruction of the palace has been discussed for a long time, the decision was first made to build a new repository for NGP in Prague’s Jinonice, near the Butovice shopping gallery. The costs for the first phase of construction are now estimated at 2.2 billion crowns. NGP has prepared documentation for a tender for the repository contractor, which is now being reviewed by the ministry. NGP anticipates approval of the plan and launching the tender in the first half of 2026.

Once the first of the two phases of the new repository construction is successfully certified, it will be necessary to move the collections and exhibits from the Trade Fair Palace to Jinonice. Its reconstruction can only begin afterward.