In September 2026 Prague reopened the Industrial Palace at the Prague Exhibition Grounds after the completion of its reconstruction. Construction work began in early 2022 and lasted more than four and a half years. Part of the palace burned down on 16 October 2008.[1][2]
Reconstruction
The builders fully restored the right wing and the central part of the building and rebuilt the left wing that had burned down. Its new steel structure is based on the historic structure of the right wing, so both parts have the same proportions and appearance. The left wing has a full basement and is designed as a separate fire compartment.[1]
The most demanding restoration task was the repair of the central hall, above all its painted wooden ceiling covering 2,737 square metres, made up of 1,232 boards arranged in 77 fields. The city also returned removed historic elements to the building, such as attics, coats of arms and the Crown of Saint Wenceslas at the top of the clock tower. More than 2,300 square metres of stained glass were restored, including an oval stained-glass window based on a design by Mikoláš Aleš with the motif "Orba a lov" (Ploughing and Hunting); its appearance was established with the help of a photograph obtained through a public appeal.[1][2]
According to ČT24, the costs came to roughly three billion crowns. Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda said that European funds contributed half a billion crowns to a reconstruction costing about 2.5 billion. Prague city councillor Adam Zábranský spoke of nearly three billion, and project manager David Čech told iDNES.cz that the work cost more than three billion.[1][2]
Opening and operation
At the opening, Mayor Svoboda said that after eighteen years the city was returning the palace to Prague as a whole. Guided tours took place from 25 September to 11 October 2026 and all slots were sold out; the city planned to announce further ones during October. The building is not meant to be generally accessible and is to serve mainly for exhibitions, trade fairs and other events. The palace is to be managed by the municipal company Prague Exhibition Grounds (Výstaviště Praha).[1][2]
Related articles: Industrial Palace
Chronology
- — The Industrial Palace at Prague's Výstaviště reopened after reconstruction, including the rebuilt left wing destroyed by fire in 2008. ČT24 iDNES.cz, Praha
Sources
- ČT24 — 24 September 2026
- iDNES.cz, Praha — 23 September 2026