After thirteen years, Prague will build a new branch of the city library
02/05/20 14:01:00
The Municipal Library in Prague (MKP) will soon start building a new multifunctional building in Petřiny. It will replace the existing building, whose technical condition did not allow for further development or reconstruction.
Thus, after thirteen years, Praguers will experience a modern center of literature, culture or meetings. In total, the building should cost approximately 226 million crowns, including VAT, and should be completed in the autumn of 2023.
“The library of the 21st century is no longer just a book and magazine rental, but rather a multifunctional and cultural space that offers a number of new functions and approaches. The preparation of such a center has dragged on for more than ten years. By co-financing the project, we unblock its implementation. It will be ready in a few months and after thirteen years, the people of Prague will have a new modern center of literature, information, culture as well as meetings, “says Hana Třeštíková, Councilor of the Capital City of Prague. m of Prague for culture and tourism, which has a library under its responsibility.
The future building in Prague 6 will replace the existing library building from the 1950s, which no longer served its purpose. The Petřina branch was therefore closed in October 2021. The new building is designed to meet the demands placed on library services not only by employees but especially by the public.
“Prague has only a few buildings that were built directly for the purposes of the library. The last of them, the National Technical Library in Dejvice, was opened in 2009. I am glad that within two years, after years of paperwork, Petřiny will have a library that will serve the public well and represent the best that libraries can use, “says the director. Municipal Library in Prague Tomáš Řehák.
The project will also bring a number of new possibilities, functions and innovations. There will be smaller study rooms, usable for meetings of local associations or teaching in smaller groups, and there will also be space for a multifunctional hall. Another novelty will be the possibility to borrow books or return them outside the opening hours of the branch through self-service facilities without the assistance of a librarian.
The ground floor of the new library is conceived as a space that welcomes and informs them about the services and events in the library. The multifunctional hall for cultural and educational events for up to 60 spectators will be covered in the basement to protect it from the surrounding noise, as well as so that film screenings or musical performances do not disturb their surroundings. The first and second floors of the library will be dedicated to books and meetings, as the facility will also include rooms for joint work or learning. Other library spaces connected for the joint work of the Department of Library Funds. The whole house will also be barrier-free.
The final exterior design is the work of architects from the Monom Works studio, who are also behind the design of the library’s interior equipment. The architectural studio Atadier Zavadil will also appear on the first designs of the library. The project documentation for the construction was prepared by the Siebert + Talaš studio. The library building will be surrounded by a garden, which will offer a pleasant summer sitting with a book, on the terrace loosely connected to the interior.
The Petřina branch is located in the original buildings from the 1950s, next to the Nad Alejí Grammar School and close to the Věra Čáslavská Primary School and Kindergarten. “In order for books to compete with digital technologies, they need to be a more self-service part of everyday life, especially for children. The new library will provide locals with a safe and inspiring space for schoolchildren to read, listen to audiobooks or do school homework in peace. I believe that the modern environment will be stimulating and motivating for everyone who visits the new building, “says Mariana Čapková, chairwoman of the Committee for Education and Training of the City of Prague, who was born in Prague 6.
The building permit was issued in the middle of 2021, the two-round public contract for the construction contractor was concluded on January 26, 2022. After evaluating the bids, the selection committee selected a consortium of Subterra – Chládek & Tintěra for implementation. The total amount of the investment is estimated at CZK 226 million incl. VAT. The construction site should be handed over to the construction company in March 2022. Work will begin on the demolition of the existing library building. The construction itself will take thirteen months and the new library should open in the fall of 2023.
The farewell to the library building, which has already served for more than half a century and with which many residents of Petřin have their childhood memories, because it originally served as a kindergarten, was discovered in December. A video recording of the meeting can be viewed on the YouTube profile of the Municipal Library in Prague: HERE.