The reconstruction should restore the Lucerna Palace to its former glory

Prague - The reconstruction of the Lucerna Palace should start as soon as possible; this significant cultural monument and social center of Prague is considerably dilapidated. "It is high time that the whole matter is resolved and reconstruction of this valuable, heritage-protected building can begin," said architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš to ČTK today. The High Court in Prague today confirmed in an appellate procedure that Dagmar, the sister-in-law of former President Václav Havel, owns half of the palace. Havlová now owns the entire building.
There are many original details in the building, as it has not undergone any major reconstruction. "After the return of the Lucerna to the Havels, a proposal for its reconstruction was drafted according to the project of architect Jiří Jiroudek, which also passed heritage opposition and among other things includes the restoration of the rooftop café. However, reconstruction could not take place due to legal disputes, only partial adjustments were made," Lukeš reminds us.
"Since its inception, Lucerna has been one of the leading points of public, cultural, social, and even political life; many political meetings were held there. Artists such as Maurice Chevalier, Josephine Baker, and Louis Armstrong performed there, spanning across genres. Lucerna has played an enormous role in Czech culture," said music publicist Antonín Matzner to ČTK.
Currently, it does not play such a significant role, which is probably due to its condition, especially the Large Hall, which is in a lamentable state, also because the original air conditioning system was completely disrupted, recalls a witness to many significant cultural events in Lucerna. However, according to him, the reconstruction should definitely help Lucerna; even now, organizers of the Prague Spring often think about it but are afraid of the current condition.
Václav Havel, the grandfather of the former Czech president, built Lucerna as the realization of his dream of a multifunctional building that would include passages, theatrical restaurants, shops, cafés, as well as a multipurpose cultural hall. Lucerna was created in two stages; the first phase towards Vodičkova Street was completed around 1908, while the second phase towards Štěpánská Street was completed only after the war.
"Lucerna is built in the style of architectural modernism, the newer part also contains certain romantic elements somewhat reminiscent of Arab architecture. The rooftop café of Lucerna, with its various romantic extensions, was also very popular," warns Lukeš.
The first reinforced concrete palace in the republic originally did not have a large social hall; Václav Havel wanted to have the largest artificially opened ice rink in Central Europe in its place. However, during construction, which had to go very deep, they encountered groundwater, and Havel decided on underground garages. At that time, in 1907, the first mass-produced automobile Laurin and Klement emerged from the garage. "It was only when concert manager Spurný suggested to Havel that he create a concert hall there and rent it," recalls Matzner.
The Lucerna Palace is not only located in the Prague Heritage Reserve, and thus in a part of the city listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, but it is also listed as a cultural monument itself. Heritage preservationists will closely monitor any potential reconstruction or extension of the building.