Praga celebrates 110 y.!

During today’s celebrations of the Praga automobile plant’s 110th anniversary in Vysocany's Art District, Pragovka, guests were shown the new development plans for the former Praga factory site. Thanks to foreign investments some of the buildings of the former factory are being brought back to life. The first building to be transformed is the “E” building. It now houses numerous studios, galleries and workshops and is home to almost one hundred artists from various fields, making it the largest artist community in Prague.

The site has already hosted various cultural and social events and is a popular location for movie and TV productions. At this unique event the Prague Mayor, Adriana Krnáčová, and Mayor of the Prague 9 district Jan Jarolím recognized this historic milestone in the history of the Praga car factory and presented their vision for the future of the Pragovka site.

The mayor of the Prague 9 district Jan Jarolím added: ”The Vysocany district is one of the birthplaces of Czech industry and engineering and deserves to be full of active life again, although now in a somewhat calmer and less noisy form than in the past. The proposed project is part of the current concept of area development that principally consists of building a quiet leisure area along the Rokytka river which begins in Prague 9 in the Podvinní and Pod lávkou Park, goes along the Vysocany cycle path, across Freyova Street to the fitness field and Zahrádky Park. We want to connect the localities around Kolbenova Street to the areas near Podebradska Street as much as possible. The backbone of the whole area is the Rokytka river and the Vysocany cycle path. The planned changes include a large portion of green zones, connection to the path near the Rokytka river and also a rugby pitch and a new school. The development possibilities in Vysocany are truly unique and that is why we want to be a part of them, which can be seen not only in this project.” The creative project in Vysocany with the new museum building and another cultural and art center of citywide significance - Hall 19 – Kunsthalle, was presented at the prestigious MIPIM *) real estate fair in Cannes by the Czech delegation led by the Prague Mayor Adriana Krnáčová. The city of Prague is one of the fair’s traditional exhibitors. The key topics of the fair were transformation areas and the possibilities of cooperation with private investors to make these areas fully-fledged and modern city locations. One of the inspirations for the new Pragovka creative district La Défénse in Paris which also considered the construction of several solitary objects, which would breathe new life into the whole area and subsequently encourage further investments and development.

The ambitious Pragovka project is set to become the new heart of the Vysocany district by applying modern urban development with quality public spaces and a respect for historical industrial heritage. The use of space within cities is more ecological and economical regarding the expansion of the city into the surrounding landscape and the connection to the necessary infrastructure. The architectural studio offered a creative approach, which includes social, ecological and economic aspects of urban development. Both cultural intents will increase interest in this area and will have a beneficial effect on the quality of life in Vysocany. 

*) Along with Expo Real the MIPIM Fair is among the most important industry events in Europe. The 27th year of this fair organized in 2016 hosted more than 24 000 participants from 90 countries on an exhibition area of 18 000m2. The Czech Republic had more than 50 accredited participants.