The long-awaited revitalization of the historically significant park in Prague's Vítkov should finally begin in the summer of 2025. The Prague City Council recently took an important step towards the project's realisation when, at its meeting on 7 April 2025, the City Council approved the resubmission of an application for financial support from European funds.
The project “Renovation of the park in Vítkov, Phase I” has a complicated history. The first thoughts about the revitalisation of this area appeared already in 2006. After ten years of planning, the project took a concrete form and in 2016 a complete study of the park's restoration was commissioned. Construction work began on August 3, 2023, but the project administration is undergoing changes.
Funding from European Funds
The Prague City Council has now decided to withdraw the original application for support from the Integrated Regional Operational Programme 2021-2027 and prepare a new, updated application. This is mainly due to significant changes in the project's construction budget which have affected eligible expenditure.
“Since the start of the works, several amendments to the contract with the contractor have been concluded on the basis of a total of 17 change sheets,” the explanatory memorandum states. These modifications include, for example, changes to roads and paved areas or modifications to public lighting.
The total estimated cost of the project now amounts to almost CZK 132 million including VAT, of which the eligible expenditure, which can be financed from the European subsidy, should amount to approximately CZK 34.4 million. The European Union could thus contribute CZK 17.2 million, representing 50% of the eligible costs.
What will the revitalization of the park bring?
The first stage of the park's restoration includes the area starting just behind the National Monument in Vítkov. This is the most visible part of the park - the access road that leads directly to the monument. The contractor of the construction works is the company FIRESTA-Fišer, reconstruction, construction.
The key elements of the reconstruction include:
- Replacement of approximately 6,000 m² of asphalt with large-format stone and concrete paving
- Transformation of the original soldiers' parking lot into a resting piazza with trees and benches
- Installation of a geyser and other water features in the middle of the promenade
- Construction of a bistro recessed into the hillside with seating for up to 24 people indoors and outdoor seating
- Installation of public toilets
- Installation of thirty new benches, Ten litter bins and a new drinking fountain
- Renovation of the currently non-functioning fountain
The park will also be enriched with more greenery, in line with current trends in urban greenery. The changes are intended to give the park a more “natural character”, similar to the revitalisation of Stromovka or Letná Park.
The first stage is only the beginning of the extensive revitalisation of the entire park in Vítkov, which is divided into six parts. The aim is to create a modern “21st century park” that will better meet the needs of Prague's residents and visitors.