“People will love it in the end”: Jiřího z Poděbrad Square reopens after overhaul
Prague’s Jiřího z Poděbrad Square officially reopened on Wednesday following a major renovation lasting over two years. Officials say around 170 trees have been added to the well-known public space, but critics say it is not green enough.
Jiřího z Poděbrad Square, for many the civic and social centre of the Prague 3 district, officially reopened on Wednesday morning.
It had been closed since January 2024 for a thorough renovation project that had been discussed for decades – and metal hoarding surrounding what was a large construction site only disappeared this week.
Petr Hlaváček is a deputy mayor of the Czech capital.
“My major feeling is that it is coming back to the people. There have been some comments about the dimensions of the paved area, but there are certain reasons for that, which you can see. It’s fully occupied by stands, and I suppose there are going to be a series of such occasions. There is also unbelievably high quality ‘blue’ and ‘green’ infrastructure. Water trickles down and there is a layer of coal that absorbs the water. There is a special type of grass, which is even called ‘Jiřího z Poděbrad’, and the latest… type of plane trees. So this is something I think people will enjoy for the next 10, 15, 20 years.”
The revitalisation was designed by the architects Miroslav Cikán and Pavla Melková from the company MCA atelier. The former says they bore Slovenian architect Jože Plečnik in mind during the project; he created the dominant feature of the square, the Church of the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord.
“We tried to look at things from Plečnik’s perspective, in terms of historical connections, architecture, relationship to the space, and the cultural history of Europe. We tried to build on his language, which came to Prague via Vienna [where he studied and worked] and his journeys around the continent and the Mediterranean. All this can be seen in every detail of the church, so we tried to draw on that language too, including in the church’s connection to the urban axes that exist here.”
On social media there has been a good degree of negativity about the redevelopment of “JzP”, with many saying the new design does not provide enough shade during summer heat, which has intensified in recent years.
Officials counter that 170 new trees have been added to the square, and Petr Hlaváček says experience elsewhere in Prague suggests this problem may be short-lived.
“I think this comes first of all from the character of our beautiful nation – that first impressions are negative. But I think people will love it in the end. Every year, the trees are going to be bigger and bigger. If you remember, we planted trees on Wenceslas Square around four years ago – and now they are in much better shape. The same will happen here.”
The deputy mayor, an architect by profession, is also familiar with complaints about the fact the square was closed for almost two and a half years during the overhaul.
“I think it’s mostly because of the underground infrastructure. If you look at the pictures, you will see there are actually buildings underneath the square. They are to collect water – which comes from the square, from the paved area, and from the roof of the church.”
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