Preparations for the reconstruction of the Masaryk Railway Station in Prague

The Czech daily newspaper Pravo with reference to the representative of the national railway company ÄŒeské dráhy (Czech Rail) Petr Stahlavsky reported that are now carried out research and diagnostic work, which purpose is to determine which elements of the historic building of the Masaryk Station in Prague, included in the list of the cultural heritage, should be preserved in its original form, and which ones can be replaced with copies.

Railway authorities planned to begin restoration of the Masaryk station after completion of renovation of the Main Station, which has successfully come to an end in November 2010 after four years of construction works. According to Martin Hamsik, the representative of an investment company Grandi Stazioni, which financed the project and signed 30-year lease agreement with ÄŒeské dráhy, "a dark, unattractive building [Central Station] was turned into a modern transport and shopping center".

Reconstruction works of Masaryk Station will be conducted by a specially created joint development company. According to information received from Mr. Stahlavsky, at the first stage it is planned to replace the roof and ceiling of the building, install new columns that support it, as well as to update the floors and reconstruct the sewer system. Also in the station building is planned to be opened a museum of Czech Railways.

Masaryk railway station building was opened as early as 1845, in the era of the power of the Austrian Empire, which then included modern Czech Republic. At that time this station, which was originally called the Prague Station, was one of the largest in Europe.

Its modern name the station received in 1919 in honor to the first president of Czechoslovakia. But after this it was renamed for several times, and eventually in 1990, when the communist regime began to weaken, the city authorities returned the name of Masaryk. In its history this station changed its name seven times.