City unveils new design for Prague's Wenceslas Square
Prague’s Wenceslas Square is currently undergoing a major renovation, which includes the return of trams to its upper part. An exhibition is now underway at the bottom section of the square, which presents the upcoming changes to the public.
Wenceslas Square in the very centre of Prague currently looks a bit like a building site. Construction is underway at several locations around the square to prepare for new tram lines that will connect the Vinohrady and New Town districts of Prague.
To inform citizens about the upcoming changes, the City Hall organised a special event, which included a debate with the architects from Jakub Cigler studio, which is in charge of remodelling Prague’s central square.
One of the main modifications to the original proposal will be moving the tram tracks to the side, about 7.5 metres from the axis of the square, explains architect Jan Hofman:
“A new tree alley will be planted along the outer edge of the sidewalk, which will consist of about 68 new trees, and there will be four new tram stops, two at the top and two at the bottom.
“The area that is currently designated for pedestrians is about 43 per cent, and with the new proposal, that percentage will increase to about 73 percent.”
Until the 1980s, when the tram line on the square was cancelled after the construction of the metro, the tracks ran down the centre. Instead, a 15-meter-wide strip will now run through the centre of the square, providing space for exhibitions, markets, and other events.
Martin Šubrt, deputy head of the Regional Organizer of Public Transport (ROPID), says there will be three tram lines running across the square:
“The first will connect the area of Vršovice Square, náměstí Míru Square and Wenceslas Square towards Masaryk Station and Náměstí Republiky. And the second essential direction is from Vinohradská Street from Jiřího z Poděbrad to Museum metro station via Wenceslas Square towards Újezd.”
The third line will connect the square with the nearby metro station of I.P.Pavlova and will be serviced by tram number 6, which currently has to take a detour through Karlovo náměstí.
The remodelling of the square will also include the creation of a new underground rainwater tank at the top of the square. It will collect rainwater from the square and rooftops for irrigating greenery, but also store excess water and help reduce strain on the sewage system during rainfall.
The reconstruction of the entire Wenceslas Square has been in the works since 2005 and the final design was agreed upon in 2019. The lower part of the square has already been reconstructed by the city at a cost of about CZK 400 million during the Covid pandemic.
