The Office of the Government of the Czech Republic opened to the public the reconstructed garden of Straka Academy

Prague - The Office of the Government of the Czech Republic has opened to the public the reconstructed garden of the Straka Academy in Prague, which will be accessible every Saturday during the summer months. The fundamental reconstruction aimed to remove some of the original insensitive interventions, give the garden a representative character adequate to the significance of the government building, and connect with the style and work of the original architect František Thomayer through compositional solutions. The garden modification project was developed by the Krejčiříkovi Studio. This was announced to journalists by the head of the government office, Jana Kotalíková.

The restoration of the premises was coordinated with the reconstruction of Kosárkovo nábřeží. According to plans published last year, the reconstruction was supposed to cost over 75 million crowns. "I am glad that we successfully completed the reconstruction before the Czech Presidency of the Council of the European Union. We would like to open this space as much as possible to the public. Therefore, we decided to make the garden accessible to everyone every Saturday until the end of the summer, even before the official opening of the garden, which will be at the end of August," Kotalíková stated.

According to her, the chosen historicizing concept of the space corresponds to the neo-Baroque architecture of the building and the demands of contemporary heritage care, taking into account the possibilities for effective maintenance throughout the entire growing season. Workers constructed nearly 5,000 square meters of paved surfaces, regenerated over 11,000 square meters of lawn, restored hedges, and planted 380 roses. The garden now contains up to 15,500 flowers.

The garden is newly arranged to serve not only for receiving foreign delegations but also to be regularly opened to the public. The first visitors today saw, in addition to central decorative areas, two spaces allowing for mobile exhibitions. A new feature is a fountain coordinated with reproduced music.

The modifications to the garden built on the reconstruction of the government residence, which ended almost two years ago after nearly three years. The restoration of the building cost 301.5 million crowns. All modifications were made while in operation, and only due to the window replacements in the main hall and offices did the government meet in the Hrzán Palace in Hradčany for several months.

In the area of today's Straka Academy, a garden has existed since the 15th century. The building of the academy was erected in these places from 1891 to 1896 according to the designs and plans of architect Václav Roštlapil. After completion, it served, according to the wishes of Count Jan Petr Straka, as a student dormitory for the impoverished sons of Czech noble families. After World War II, it was reserved for the needs of the new Czechoslovak government, and since 1993, the Straka Academy has been the seat of the Czech government.

During the 20th century, the garden suffered from careless interventions in the form of a combination of lawns, asphalt, concrete surfaces, clay, paving stone, and various types of paving that lacked a conceptual approach. The technical condition of the structures and equipment was, according to the government office, at the end of its lifespan, and the solutions used did not meet the technical requirements for use.

The Straka Academy garden will be open for free every Saturday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM during July and August. Entrance is from Kosárkovo nábřeží, and visitors must pass through a security frame.