SŽ is preparing the second stage of repairs to the Pardubice train station

Pardubice - The Railway Administration (SŽ) is preparing the second phase of the reconstruction of the historical building of the protected Pardubice main train station. Currently, the builders, in addition to repairing the track and platforms, are working on the central vertical part with a hotel, where, among other things, they are installing escalators from the ticket hall to the underpasses; everything is expected to be completed in the first half of next year. The second phase includes a comprehensive reconstruction of the station hall, the eastern operational wing, and the western wing with a residential building, said SŽ spokesman Dušan Gavenda.

"All of this is done with regard to historical elements and heritage protection requirements. The preparation for this phase of the project should be completed next year, and the timeline for subsequent implementation will be specified according to the approved budget," Gavenda stated.

The station stands on the site of a former sugar factory that was destroyed during wartime bombing. One of the most significant post-war functionalist buildings was designed by architect Karel Řepa together with Josef Danda and Karel Kalvoda. They designed the public contract at the end of the 1940s, and construction work lasted until 1958. The first train arrived on May 1, 1958.

Řepa favored the alternation of unplastered and plastered masonry and parts covered with ceramic tiles. The station building looks similar, with black cladding in the lower parts and a section made of brick-red tiles. The spacious ticket hall is illuminated by bricked-in glass blocks in the upper parts. The shorter walls inside are decorated with mosaics of the zodiac and maps of Czechoslovak cities connected by railways. On the long walls above the ticket offices, there are contemporary photographs of interesting places in the Pardubice region.

In the eastern wing, for example, there is a traffic office; the western part includes technical facilities and rental spaces. Connected to the station building is a seven-story hotel, which is currently undergoing renovation. In the future, it will house a training center for SŽ.