Prague's historic Bohemia Restaurant has been restored to its former glory

The former Bohemia Restaurant, a long-neglected building at Prague's Výstaviště Exhibition Grounds that dates back to 1891, has been fully restored after years of neglect. The building will reopen to the public for concerts, fashion shows, conferences, and other special events in the near future.

"Visitors to the Exhibition Center and Stromovka Park have until now been offered only a sad view of the dilapidated and closed building of the former Bohemia Restaurant," Prague Deputy Mayor Pavel Vyhnánek states in a press release.

"We have now restored this historic building to its former beauty, and I am pleased that we will soon open a new, representative, and cultured space for various events to the people of Prague."

The renovations to Bohemia Restaurant are part of long-term plans to revitalize the entire Výstaviště area, which was originally created in 1891 as part of the General Land Centennial Exhibition, celebrating 100 years since Prague's first industrial exhibition.

"In addition to the revitalization of the lower part of the exhibition grounds with outdoor sports fields, I would like to highlight repairs to neighboring buildings including the Pražan Restaurant and the Křižík Pavilions," Vyhnánek adds.

"And in the coming years, the now-reconstructed Spirála theater, the Lapidarium, and above all the symbol of the entire Exhibition Center, the Industrial Palace, will join them."

The extensive reconstruction of the Bohemia Restaurant was planned by Prague architectural studio SGL PROJEKT specifically to preserve its original character, and carried out by Subterra. The final touches of the CZK 87.7 million renovations will be carried out in the coming weeks.

The building operated as restaurant until the second half of the 20th century; like many others in the area, it slowly fell into disrepair during the communist years.

While the newly-restored Bohemia Restaurant won't act as a permanent restaurant, it comes equipped with a freshly-restored and fully-equipped kitchen to host special events, along with a secondary kitchen on the upper floor.

The new building also offers a spacious hall on the ground floor for concerts, cultural events, social gatherings, fashion shows, and other special events. The capacity of the building is 164 people.

"Next to the Industrial Palace, the Bohemia Restaurant building is one of the most historically significant buildings at the Exhibition Grounds," says Výstaviště Praha chair Tomáš Hübl.

"Personally, I am very happy that it has been preserved and very sensitively renovated [and that it] was possible to save another historical object that undoubtedly deserves its future."