Building permit issued for Industrial Palace reconstruction a decade after fire

The right wing of the landmark of the Industrial Palace in Výstaviště in Prague’s Holešovice district has been covered by a tent for over a decade, following a massive fire. The city has finally obtained a building permit that allows for replacing the destroyed wing and renovating the rest of the structure.

“The burnt down
Industrial Palace has been a disgrace to the capital for 10 years.
The building permit has finally opened the way for its reconstruction
and renovation of the whole building. It is a beautiful building that
we can now return to its original beauty and in addition to it
include the latest technology,” Vyhnánek said.

“Thanks to the
reconstruction, a multifunctional space will be created in both wings
and the central hall will be not only for trade fairs, but also for
other live social events,” he added.

In the fall,
Vyhnánek wants to have a complete implementation documentation
prepared. That will be the basis for preparing the budget of the
entire project. Then a public contract for contractors will be
announced. Construction work could start in the second half of next
year, if the contract procedure does not end up being disputed at the
Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS),

“This year we are
working intensively on the renovation of Výstaviště, especially
its lower part. We did not want Výstaviště Praha to be completely
closed due to the reconstruction of the Industrial Palace and to come
back to life for a long and cumbersome time,” Vyhnánek said.

During the
reconstruction, events will be moved to other parts of Výstaviště
and some temporary spaces will be created so regular festivals such
as Designblok and Book World can take place.

The left wing of the Industrial Palace was completely destroyed by a fire on October 16, 2008, and has been covered by a tent since then. The fire began when heat from a coffee pot that was left on overnight came in contact with volatile chemical fumes from a medical display at a trade fair.

The Industrial
Palace was built in 1891 in the Late Historicism or Art Nouveau style
for the Jubilee Exhibition of 1891, also called the General Land
Centennial Exhibition. The architect was by Bedřich Münzberger. Its
dominant feature is a 51-meter-tall clock tower in the central
section. The exhibition was inspired by the Paris World’s Fair of
1889. During the communist era, party congresses were held at the
Industrial Palace.

The last large
renovation of Výstaviště area in 1991.