Flea, concert and film screening. Prague advises how to take over public space
/PHOTO GALLERY/ Lively streets, squares and parks are a sign of a healthy metropolis. However, it is difficult for a mortal to obtain a permit for the seizure of public property. The municipal organization Kreativní Praha, whose task is to support culture and creative events in the metropolis, has therefore launched a website that guides applicants step by step through the bureaucratic process.
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Revival of public space – Kostnické náměstí.
| Photo: Deník/Eliška Stodolová
Obtaining a permit to organize a cultural event is a lengthy and demanding process. Portal verejnyprostor.praha.eu it has been in operation since June this year and is supposed to make the application system easier. “I don’t think we have any idea of his existence. We report events on our own axis, in short, we have already trodden the thorny path ourselves over the years – we have experience both with occupations in our district and with the lease agreement with TSK,” outlines the difficulty of the process, chairman of the association Probuďme Nusle Petr Štádler.
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The aforementioned association regularly organizes events for the public. “Officially, the authorities have a month to process the application, but they usually do it within a week or two. We can’t complain about that,” describes Stádler. According to him, the problem is more with bureaucratic complexity. “For illustration, when occupying the Jezerka gazebo in Nuslí, we have to ask the property department for approval to hold the event, and then we submit the appropriate form to the environment department in order to be able to issue a fee. It is up to the applicant to hand over the processed consent from the property department to the environment department, so you need to go there physically to transfer it from the fourth floor to the ninth. Some officials will do it themselves, others won’t,” he adds. They say that they have not yet had their application rejected, but in some cases they have had to add information.
Culture in the streets
There are 57 different boroughs in the capital, and the methods of dealing with foreclosures vary from office to office. In central urban areas, it is usually a dedicated separate page on the website. The portal links to me and at the same time provides an overview of the requests that those interested in organizing the event must fill out.
For the third year now, Prague 3 is organizing free concerts under the open sky. This year they take place every Wednesday on Kostnické náměstí, where the Kiosko cafe is located. “The idea for concerts came about during covid, when people were locked up at home. We wanted to make culture accessible to them, for example by opening a window and listening to live music in the streets, and at the same time supporting culture who had nowhere to play,” says Michaela Luňáčková from the Department of External Relations and Prague 3, adding that she did not know about the portal’s existence. .
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The city district itself does not have to apply for the occupation of the public space, because the concerts take place directly on its territory. “We only need permission from our green department, but we realize that it may be difficult for associations or individuals to obtain permission. That is why we are now preparing a guide that will tell the applicant everything he needs and will guide him through obtaining a permit,” promises Luňáčková.