Prague could have a philharmonic building in 2032, it should cost six billion crowns
The preparation of the new building of the Prague Philharmonic on Vltavská will cost 750 million, and the actual construction, according to rough estimates, another 5.3 million crowns, announced on Monday by Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček from TOP 09. He presented the first study the city had on this topic.
The management of the municipality would like to announce an international architectural competition for the project this year, the preparation is to take four and a half years.
Henning Larsen commissioned the Danish architectural offices to carry out feasibility studies for the city last year. It was approved by councilors on Monday. Next in line is an architectural competition for the design of buildings. According to the schedule, at the turn of 2025 and 2026, the competition for a construction company could begin, and in 2032, the building could stand if everything goes smoothly.
According to Hlaváček, the study showed that the hall should be owned by the city or a company controlled by it. The complex can create up to 4,000 jobs and reach an annual attendance of around 600,000 people. There should be at least one orchestra in the building. According to the architects’ recommendations, the Philharmonic Orchestra would have three halls – a concert hall for 1,800 spectators, a smaller one for chamber music with a capacity of 500 seats and a multifunctional hall for other genres and types of events with a capacity of up to 700 people.
It should be possible to cover operating costs by renting halls and commercial premises, such as shops, cafés and restaurants.
The total estimated costs of about 6.1 million crowns are to include outdoor areas and underground parking. City according to Hlaváček, it is already discussing the possibility of co-financing the project by the state. “It’s one of the tasks I have to prepare a memorandum with the Ministry of Culture,” the deputy said.
Martin Gross, a member of the council’s committee for the preparation of the hall, said that the approval of the study completed the first phase, which began about ten years ago with signing memoranda between the then city management and the Association for the Construction of a New Concert Hall in Prague.
The Mayor of Prague 7, Jan Čižinský from the Prague movement, thinks that the building is special for cultivating the area around Vltavská. “We all know that Vltavská is really such a scar on the face of the city. And the new philharmonic will help heal this scar, “he says.
Last autumn, the Prague representatives approved the settlement of changes to the zoning plan, which is to enable the construction. In addition to the concert hall, the city also wants to address the related changes around the Vltavská metro station, such as traffic on the Hlávka bridge, the underpass under the railway line or a new exit from the metro. The city is preparing a territorial study for the entire area of the so-called Holešovice-Bubny brownfield, where it expects extensive housing construction.
Discussions about the construction of a large concert hall in Prague have been going on for decades. The most suitable place was. The hall could have been built in Letná in the 1990s, where the construction of the National Library according to the design of architect Jan Kaplický was also considered. Japanese investors want to dedicate the construction to the Czech Philharmonic for the 100th anniversary. The then Minister of Culture Milan Uhde and Mayor Milan Kondr rejected the offer.