A proposal for the use of the Žižkov freight railway station building has been created

Prague - In the front building of the former Žižkov Freight Station, the National Film Archive is to be based in the future, with a primary school planned for the northern wing and commercial spaces along with a rooftop extension with apartments to be constructed by Sekyra Group in the southern wing. This follows from the draft memorandum on the use of the architecturally protected functionalist building, which is set to be signed by the city of Prague, Prague 3, the Ministry of Culture, and companies financially interested in the station building. ČTK has the proposed draft. According to Prague Councillor for Property Jan Chabr (TOP 09), the memorandum should be signed within a month.

Chabr stated that the wording of the memorandum is currently being finalized and should go to the Prague Council at the beginning of November. It also needs to be approved by the Ministry of Culture and the Prague 3 Council. The parties involved in signing it include the Prague City Hall, Prague 3, the Ministry of Culture, Czech Railways, Sekyra Group, and Žižkov Station Development, which is a joint venture of Czech Railways and Sekyra Group created for the development of the area and has pre-emption rights for the building.

Originally, the city began negotiating the purchase of the former station building from Czech Railways, and after last year’s change in political representation, the city hall agreed to co-own it with the Ministry of Culture, particularly the National Film Archive (NFA), and Žižkov Station Development. In the future, the building is expected to represent cultural and social functions ensured by the NFA, along with public amenities in the form of a school and commercial spaces.

In addition to commercial spaces, Sekyra Group is proposed to construct a two-story rooftop extension with rental apartments in the southern wing according to the memorandum draft. The company also plans to build residential houses to the south and east of the building. Other projects on the brownfield site of approximately 33 hectares are planned by Central Group and Penta Real Estate.

The city initially considered that a tram would run through the center of the station, but according to Chabr, this was abandoned. "It would disrupt the entire agreed concept," he said. The tram line will most likely run north of the station parallel to Malešická Street. The city is currently preparing a change to the zoning plan, which is necessary for the development of the brownfield and is expected to be completed in the second half of next year.

The fate of the station, which ceased operations in 2002, has been discussed for years. Initially, it was to make way for construction, but following pressure from activists, demolition plans were abandoned. According to a study by the Institute of Planning and Development (IPR), a new district for up to 15,000 residents is expected to be developed on the surrounding land in the future.