Industrial Palace in Prague’s Výstaviště regains its iconic clock tower
The 26-tonne clock tower structure has been restored on top of the Industrial Palace, the centre piece of the Výstaviště area in Bubeneč. Following a fire in 2008, the costs of the repair of the palace, which began in 2022 and will continue until 2026, are estimated to exceed three billion crowns.
The Industrial Palace was built in 1891, and was designed by the Czech architect Münzberger. Inspired by the Paris World Exhibition of 1889, the building’s combination of brick and iron was new for the Czech lands at that time. On October 16th 2008, the palace was devastated by a fire, which burned down the whole west wing of the building. Now, with the return of the structure of the palace’s central clock tower, the end of the long reconstruction process seems in sight.
David Čech, project manager for the company Metrostav DIZ, explained the reasons for the tower’s removal:
“The tower was completely repaired, its damaged legs were replaced and redone. It has been exposed to the weather for a long time. There was a huge amount of corrosion on both its legs and the viewing platform, so it was decided to make a replica of these parts.”
The finished tower will be quite the spectacle; now that the structural skeleton is in place, replicas of the original clock faces and stained glass can be added to it. Expert craftsmen are currently finishing the gilding on the new crown of St. Wenceslas that will sit at the very top of the tower.
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Prague
The capital city of Czechia. All roads converge here, millions of visitors from all over the world head here.
