Old ice vaults on the riverfront in Prague have been converted into spaces for bars and galleries
- Old ice vaults across Prague's riverfront have been converted into public spaces.
- Twenty ice vaults have been renovated into clubs, cafés, galleries, libraries, and public restrooms.
- This has been Prague's largest investment in public space since 1989. The project took a decade to complete and cost the city $7.6 million.
Sprinkled across Prague's Vltava River are old ice vaults.
As part of a riverfront revitalization project, 20 of these ice vaults have been converted into public spaces.
The once empty vaults are now home to public restrooms, clubs, galleries, libraries, restaurants, and bars
After Prague's 2002 floods, the riverfront was left abandoned, but the city has invested $7.6 million into renovating and reigniting public interest in the location.
Petr Janda, the lead architect behind the project, told Insider that the goal is to transform "the riverfront area from a deserted place with parked cars to the most lively place in the city."
His team at Brainworks architects has spent the last decade designing and renovating 2.5 miles across the riverfront.
"The result of our work is not just the opportunity to enter and stay inside the vaults, but the change in the perception of the riverfront area as a space for multi-layered social life based on turning the city face towards the river," Janda wrote to Insider in an email.
Initially, temporary art shows, exhibits, and events were brought to the district, but the city wanted something permanent.
Janda told Insider that he considers his role as an architect similar to the role of a parent. "For me, the vaults are like children looking for their own identity through their real life," he said.
Business owners, citizens, and visitors will all play a part in helping each space grow. Tenants applied for a vault in a public competition, and the winners were chosen by a jury.
Janda said he attempts to merge the indoors with the outdoors in each vault
Originally, the vault entrances were built from metal and stone, but Janda and his team replaced these openings with giant glass windows that open directly to the waterfront.
Each vault connects to the water and city center. Visitors can step inside, where each vault has a contemporary feel that the tenants will adapt to their own needs.
The vaults are currently open to the public, and phase one of the revitalization project is complete. Janda said his team is now working on bringing back Prague's river spa tradition, where floating pools and tubs will fill the river.
Janda says he hopes that visitors "feel joy, surrounded by light and connected with the river."