Prague is planning a new concept for renovating Petřín Hill and wants public input

 Prague City Hall is planning the future development of Petřín Hill, with new appearances for individual gardens and areas.

A draft document for the assignment to create the overall concept has been prepared by the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR Praha). It will also address the administration and care of the area. Prague residents can be involved in the whole process by giving their input on the draft document until November 12.

Petřín Hill is one of the most valuable and colorful park complexes in Prague. The 78-hectare area consists of several historic gardens and parks, which differ in their purpose, period of origin and current appearance. One of them is Kinský Garden, which was hit by fire that virtually destroyed the Church of St Michael.

City Hall says that Petřín is an important park in the city center with great historical and natural value, but also the need for balanced development and the corresponding quality of care.

“The decision on the preparation of the concept was made by the City Council in December last year. The study will be created with the participation of experts from the ranks of water managers, landscape painters and conservationists. An important part of the prepared Petřín concept is the involvement of the public in the entire planning process, so that the same problem does not arise as with the planned construction of public toilets,” Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (United Force for Prague), responsible for territorial development, said.

A plan to build a large public toilet at a lookout area in a quiet zone was met with a large negative outcry at the end of 2019, and was canceled after a petition got over 1,000 signatures.

Prague has already renovated several roads, buildings and part of the park. However, the management of such a large complex is not easy, as part of the site is a protected natural monument and is also located in the Prague Monument Reserve. In addition, the Petřín monuments are visited by thousands of tourists and it is also an area important for recreation and relaxation of the locals.

“We decided to involve the citizens of Prague at the very beginning of the transformation of the territory. We want such a complex locality, which consists of, for example, the Lobkowicz Garden, Rose Garden or Nebozízek, to serve the locals. At the same time, we cannot forget that it is a location normally visited by tourists, and we must keep this fact in mind when creating a concept. The parks are very busy and it is necessary to pay them sufficient continuous care,” Ondřej Boháč, director of IPR Praha, said.

The first phase of participation has started, and Praguers can get involved in the preparation of the concept. IPR prepared an introductory video and a guided walk. Suggestions for entering the concept can be submitted using an online questionnaire. All documents and current information can be found at the IPR Praha website. As this is mainly of local interest, the documentation is only in Czech. Further public involvement will take place in the spring of next year. The whole concept will then be completed next autumn.