The project Prague Train Stations unused / used will show how to revitalize entire urban neighborhoods through railway buildings

Some are developing and modernizing, while others are struggling. Some offer unique and valuable architecture, while others provide an average of their time. However, they are all united by excellent locations, on which the development and urban planning of entire city districts depend. Train stations and railways… While in Western Europe we see countless conversions of railway facilities that meet the current demands of visitors or customers, in the Czech Republic, these facilities, often entire extensive complexes, are perceived in many cases as a burden. At least in relation to their historical function and architecture.

How can we maintain irreplaceable railway buildings in the long term, despite having lost their transportation function? What use is suitable for the Smíchov, Bubny, and Žižkov train stations or Masaryk Station? And what role do railway properties play in the development of Prague? This event, part of the Prague Railway Stations Under/Unused project, will answer not only these questions – especially during the exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery (March 7 - 13) dedicated, among other things, to potential uses of the Žižkov Freight Station and the international expert conference at the Prague City Hall (March 8). After registration via email at [email protected], it is also accessible free of charge to the general public.

"We are very glad that alongside the Prague City Hall, the Czech Ministry of Transport and Czech Railways have also joined the event. This is proof for us that the presence and future of railway properties are a matter of priority for representatives of state administration and self-government. From these places, we also hear voices calling for very thoughtful solutions, including in relation to the organisms of city districts and the entire metropolis," says Dan Merta, head of the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery, which, along with the Research Center for Industrial Heritage at CTU and the civil association Tady není developerovo, is the main organizer of the Prague Railway Stations Under/Unused project. More information about the exhibition, whose opening will take place on March 6 at 7:00 PM, and the conference can be found at www.gjf.cz. Both events are under the patronage of Czech Minister of Transport Pavel Dobeš and Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda.

The international conference is considered the start of an interdisciplinary dialogue on the further use of railway and industrial sites of a similar type in Prague. It will take place at the Prague City Hall with the participation of domestic and foreign experts. The opening will be attended by Czech Minister of Transport Pavel Dobeš and Prague Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda. Following will be contributions from Benjamin Fragner (Research Center for Industrial Heritage), Richard Biegel (Charles University), Tomáš Hudeček (1st Deputy Mayor of Prague), architects Jiří Střítecký (A 8000), Jan Sedlák (CTU), and Pavel Kalina (CTU). Sharing their foreign experiences will be Christoph Hrncir (City of Vienna - Austria), Vanessa Miriam Carlow (COBE - Denmark), Dieter Polkowski (BSU Hamburg - Germany), Carlos Baztan Lacasa (City of Madrid - Spain), and Jeroen Dirckx (KCAP - Netherlands).
The conference will be preceded by the opening of the exhibition at the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery, accessible to the public only until March 13. Projects for the transformation of significant Prague railway sites, from leading architectural studios, will be exhibited alongside the results of a student workshop on the theme of new uses for the endangered Freight Station. The workshop was held last year under the guidance of the Research Center for Industrial Heritage at CTU, as part of the 6th Biennale of Industrial Footprints.

"Our capital is currently undergoing a very dynamic development, which is often contentious from an urbanistic and architectural point of view. The endangered Žižkov Freight Station is one example. The conference and exhibition share a common goal: to strive for the revitalization of these sites and their preservation within cultural heritage. Our effort is to find a solution to maximize the effective use of the potential of these historical areas for the benefit of the general public instead of their liquidation," comments Benjamin Fragner from the Research Center for Industrial Heritage and adds: "During the conference, we will have the opportunity to be inspired by successful revitalizations of transportation and industrial areas in partner cities of Prague and leading European metropolises such as Hamburg, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rotterdam, or Vienna, which I consider a unique opportunity."

Unused railway sites can serve as an opportunity for further possible development of the city, for the creation of modern districts with civic amenities, greenery, sustainable transportation, and creative architecture arising from public discussions in urbanistic and architectural competitions. However, their future may become a risk if left solely in the hands of development companies.

The contradiction between these two aspects is expressed not only in the title of the exhibition and conference but also in their core theme. As the use of similar properties in the Czech Republic is overwhelmingly subordinated to the private interests of investors, it is also important to open the discussion about the new form of significant urban sites to a wider professional and lay public. In a situation where we have so few exemplary solutions, the successful experiences from abroad, especially from the partner European cities of Prague, can be a source of inspiration.

An example is the phenomenon of the Žižkov Freight Station, whose future is currently uncertain. The building is a notable example of significant functionalist architecture from the 1930s, which is acknowledged by the Ministry of Culture. It is expected to decide in the coming days whether to (re)declare the building a protected monument or not. This act should be crucial in the dispute between conservationists, architects, and the owner and will determine the further direction.

Some refer to the building as a unique example of interwar industrial architecture, while others point out its enormous dimensions, which are deemed unusable and unsustainable under the heritage protection statute and essentially exclude it from protection. If the ministry does not declare the station a cultural heritage site, its demolition and the possibility of a new thoroughfare being built in its place are more than likely.

Considerable effort has already been made to preserve the Žižkov Freight Station in the past year, with public involvement bringing solutions for its integration into a broad revitalization project of the Žižkov Station. In addition to a tour of the area, the Research Center for Industrial Heritage at CTU and the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery announced a workshop on new uses for the station as a reflection of public discussion regarding the possible demolition of the station. The results of the workshop will be precisely the subject of the aforementioned exhibition. A conference was also held with participation from domestic experts, representatives of the investor, owner (Czech Railways), and civil associations, which attracted more than five hundred interested parties. The theme of Prague's urbanism and the development of the metropolis, including its relationship to railway properties, subsequently became much more followed and discussed.

The March conference and exhibition signify another necessary step towards saving the railway objects, as well as industrial monuments, and defining their sustainable development. One of the goals of the Prague Railway Stations Under/Unused project is to show that the most suitable way to find new uses for large areas is through an international architectural (urbanistic) competition with a clear yet non-binding brief, its transparent evaluation, and quality realization.

PRAGUE RAILWAY STATIONS UNDER/UNUSED

March 7, 2012 - March 13, 2012
Open daily from 11 AM - 7 PM (on March 13 only until 5 PM!)

JAROSLAV FRAGNER GALLERY
Bethlehem Square 5a, Prague 1
t. 222 222 157, t./f. 222 221 746
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.gjf.cz
Facebook: Jaroslav Fragner Gallery

Organizers:
Jaroslav Fragner Gallery
Research Center for Industrial Heritage at CTU
Tady není developerovo NGO

Supported by:
Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, City of Prague, Czech Railways, a.s.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM March 8, 2012

MAIN HALL OF THE PRAGUE CITY HALL (Mariánské náměstí 2, Prague 1)

9:00 AM
Opening - Bohuslav Svoboda, Pavel Dobeš

9:10 AM
Tomáš Hudeček - 1st Deputy Mayor, City of Prague

9:40 AM
Richard Biegel - art historian, Charles University Prague / Locations of Prague's railway stations in the context of the city's urbanism

10:20 AM
Benjamin Fragner - director of the Research Center for Industrial Heritage at CTU / The crumbling skeleton of urbanism in Prague

10:50 AM
Jan Sedlák - urbanist, CTU / Railways in the image of the city of Prague

11:30 AM
Jiří Střítecký - architect, studio A 8000 / Study of the rehabilitation of Masaryk Station

12:00 PM
Carlos Baztan Lacasa - City of Madrid, Spain / Revitalization of industrial areas in Madrid

12:40 PM - 2:00 PM
Break

2:00 PM
Pavel Kalina - art historian, CTU / Stations in a non-linear city

2:40 PM
Christoph Hrncir - City of Vienna, Austria / Vienna Central Station

3:15 PM
Jeroen Dirckx - KCAP, Netherlands / Opportunities for post-industrial areas

3:50 PM
Dieter Polkowski - BSU Hamburg, Germany / HafenCity Hamburg

4:30 PM
Vanessa Miriam Carlow - COBE, Denmark / Consider converse convent - a future for XXL

5:00 PM - 6:00 PM / Debate