Prague - Prague's Old Town Square, an historic district within the city, may be seeing a facelift in the near future despite Czech laws that restrict building on historic sites.
A lively debate of specialists and the public has been going on for some time now about the future view of the Old Town Square. The hot topics include the rebuilding of Old Town Hall and the Marian Column, a statue of the Virgin Mary that Czech anarchists tore down in 1918.
Though much of Old Town Square has been flooded with tourist kitsch—a museum dedicated to sex toys occupies prime real estate just down the road from the iconic Tyn Church—rebuilding on space from buildings demolished in the final days of World War II continues to draw controversy.
There has been "discussion for 60 years," said Zdenek Kuhn, an associate professor of law at Prague's Charles University. Rebuilding in Old Town Square was previously "not possible due to law, as it's a historical site."
At a September conference dedicated to the rebuiliding of the Old Town Square, City Hall has proven that it's open to change. Open to the public, the conference invited experts in the fields of architecture, art history, and politics to discuss the possibilities for the open space in Old Town Square.
History in the way
Construction frequently stagnates in Prague because of its history, which dates back centuries. Relatively untouched by war, unlike many other cities in Central and Eastern Europe, Prague frequently requires archeological surveys where there will be major construction.
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Recently, Prague's Palladium shopping mall drew criticism for incorporating ruins of a 12th-century palace uncovered during such a survey into its array of upscale clothing stores and fast food kiosks. According to the Prague Monitor, an English newspaper in the Czech Republic, "the result was a cafe, with its seating area partly circumscribed by 12th-century walls," ultimately resulting in a structure "which just looks odd."
Building on Old Town Square might be like annexing a Burger King to the Statue of Liberty for some.
Still, Kuhn thinks progressive measures should be taken when it comes to construction in Prague's protected districts. "You must find a good compromise," said Kuhn, who feels that people who live in and around Old Town Square are too preoccupied with preserving history.
"How can you live a decent life if you're in the center of an historic Disneyland?" said Kuhn.
This story was originally published by the Prague Wanderer, a web-zine run by New York University students in Prague, Czech Republic.
Damon Beres is a former opinion editor at the Washington Square News, where he now writes the weekly Prague Zombie series. Previously, he has worked with the New York Daily News in the Bronx, and continues to study journalism and sociology at New York University. He has a personal blog at http://dberes.wordpress.com.
