Prague residents discuss the "disappearing soul" of their city

Prague's reputation as one of Europe's most beautiful cities has been growing over the last decade or so ever since the city opened up to the world after the fall of communism. Every year more and more tourists are coming to the Czech Republic to sample the wonders of the "city of a hundred spires" But there are those who claim building developments in the city aimed at catering for the growing numbers of tourists are destroying the city's character. Some people are so concerned about the situation that they held a public debate attended by the deputy mayor of the city to discuss what they call the "disappearing soul of Prague".

At the debate, which got pretty heated at times, a number of participants vented their frustration at how they feel their city is being destroyed by tourism. Many feel that the face of Prague has been rapidly altered by massive developments since the fall of communism. They claim their city is selling its soul to tourism and that places like the Mala Strana district and the Old Town Square are losing their charm by becoming characterless "Disneyland" attractions.

It's a view architect Jakub Cigler can find some sympathy with:

"Prague is stuck right now in unrestrained development, which is being driven purely by tourism. I don't think this is enough and I think it's necessary for the city of Prague to be demanding some clear visions and ideas of how it should develop. This is the big issue. It's not just about the hundred golden towers in the centre and lots of tourists with cameras, but that the city should be an attractive place for normal life, like Paris for example."

Many attending the debate were also unhappy at some modern glass and steel constructions such as the Myslbek Building near Wenceslas Square and the Charles Square Centre, which they feel deface the beauty of the Czech capital.

However, despite the controversies surrounding certain new buildings, Mr Cigler is guardedly optimistic about how Prague is developing. He feels although the current situation is not without its problems, things are certainly better now compared with the stasis that the city endured under communism:

"It's not about the individual buildings so much. Things are going better since 1989. I see the positive effect of investors being able to invest more money [in buildings] than they were ten or fifteen years ago. But it's still not as good as it was between the wars when the Czech Republic was much more successful economically. But I think that positive developments are going ahead. It's necessary to invest enough effort and finances into making Prague a high-quality city."