The roof of the Lucerna Palace will temporarily open to the public

Prague - The roof of the Lucerna Palace in the center of Prague will temporarily open to the public this week. From Wednesday to Friday, from 12:00 to 18:00, people will be able to visit the terrace with a unique view of Prague and at the same time purchase farm vegetables, sausages, or cheeses from the farm of the palace's owner Dagmar Havlová. The unique spaces, covering an area of one thousand square meters, were rented out by the sister-in-law of the former president Václav Havel to Prague café owner Ondřej Kobza.

Before the opening, Havlová will present plans for the reconstruction of the rooftop terrace with Kobza and architect Petr Hájek, which will gradually be repaired and partially opened to the public. Kobza plans that eventually there could be a community garden with a café - inspired by green roofs in other European metropolises. However, it depends on the pace of renovations and negotiations with heritage officials. For now, he wants Praguers and visitors to the capital to get to know the previously unused spaces above Lucerna, accessible by paternoster.

"It is a unique place, the symbolism and genius loci here are incredible," Kobza told ČTK today. To enhance the atmosphere of the farm on the roof, he will bring two goats to Lucerna, which he has at Pirkštejn Castle in Rataje nad Sázavou.

Kobza is also behind projects like Pianos on the Street, a public poetry jukebox called Poesiomat, and a poetry gazebo known as Veršomat. He has also started placing chess tables in public spaces.

Lucerna, located between Vodičkova and Štěpánská streets, was built by Václav Havel, the grandfather of the later president. The builder used a unique, at the time still rarely utilized reinforced concrete structure for the building, allowing the largest hall to be placed three floors underground. This secessionist multifunctional palace was a unique complex for its time, encompassing shops, a cinema, a café, a bar, apartments, as well as the first dining automat in Prague, the first shopping arcade in Prague, and a large social hall. Shortly after its creation, Lucerna became the center of cultural and social life in Prague, hosting events like boxing and wrestling. The large hall of Lucerna, seating around 4000 spectators, has hosted and continues to host the most prominent domestic artists, as well as school proms. The hall, which does not have very good acoustics or ventilation, has also featured many foreign guests.

After 1948, Lucerna was nationalized, and in 1992, the palace was returned to brothers Václav and Ivan Havel in a restitution process. Ivan gifted his half to his wife Dagmar, who then wanted to buy the other half from President Havel. However, he sold his share in 1997 to Chemapol Reality for 200 million crowns; only two years later did the company sell the share for 145 million crowns to Dagmar Havlová. After protracted disputes with the bankruptcy trustee, the courts decided that the entire building belongs to Dagmar Havlová, who intends to reconstruct and revitalize the palace.