Place

Florenc is situated about 1 000 m to the east of the Old Town Square, on the border of the New Town (Prague 1  District) and Karlín (Prague 8 District). Its present character is shaped by transportation infrastructure including bus terminal, train station and metropolitan arterial road. At the same time it is the largest brownfield in the city centre.

The competition site lays in the footprints of the former New Town rampart, traces of which are well preserved under the site, including the historical moat and the drainage. After the New Town fortification was demolished in 1870s, the space was used for city’s key transport infrastructure with some plots left undeveloped.

Significant portion of the competition site is situated in the urban conservation area of the Prague Historic City Centre, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site and the entire adjacent area falls in the world heritage site buffer zone.

A number of important vistas and views on dominant landmarks were identified in the area. For example, the view from Masaryk Railway Station through Hybernská Street towards the Powder Tower (Prašná brána), a national heritage monument, or view from V Celnici Street on the Church of Our Lady before Týn (Týnský chrám). These vistas link the competition site with Prague’s historic core. The view of Vítkov Hill with the national heritage monument is equally significant for the legibility of the site.

The competition area contains a number of cultural institutions: The City of Prague Museum, Karlín Musical Theatre and industrial heritage buildings of the former railway engine depot at the Prague Masaryk Railway Station in which the National Technical Museum plans to open its Railway Museum.

Today, Florenc serves as an important transport hub of national and European importance. The Prague-Florenc Bus Terminal has a significant share of international coach services. Prague Masaryk Railway Station is the terminal station for commuting train services arriving from the east, north and partly northwest of the Prague metropolitan area and in 10 years' time it will also offer a direct train connection to Václav Havel Airport Prague. The area is well serviced by the Prague Integrated Transport system including two metro lines and a number of tram and bus lines.

Two companies, ČSAD Praha holding a. s. (owner of the bus terminal) and Masaryk Station Development, a. s., own or hold development rights to most land plots on the competition site. The City of Prague is the majority owner of the existing public spaces while the rail yard land and the buildings on the site of Masaryk Railway Station are owned by České dráhy, a.s. (state railway company).

Masaryk Station Development pursues the objective to redevelop the land into a fully integrated and functionally self-sufficient urban area. The primary objective is to eliminate the scar on the city’s face posed by the existing brownfield and replace it with a well-defined and structured urban area designed for business, living and leisure with direct links to the historic centre.

ČSAD Praha holding, a. s., plans a gradual conversion of the bus terminal into a mix-use development that is integrated into the urban fabric of Prague’s city centre while enhancing comfort for passengers and improving public spaces. 

Competition Area

Florenc Today