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What would it look like if the city decided to think differently?
1. Why does this trouble us?
A city without a market is like a living room without a table.
And yet Prague, a European cultural center, still lacks a functioning city market that would match its size, location, and the needs of its inhabitants.
Why does Florence have its Mercato Centrale, Barcelona its La Boqueria, and Copenhagen its Torvehallerne – and we don't?
Yes, we have farmers' markets. Occasional food festivals. Even several food halls.
But what's missing is the most important thing:
a permanent, quality, and inspiring space where food, architecture, and everyday life meet.
2. What (doesn't) work today
Old Town Market
Within the historic core, 3,000 m² of space sleeps. A beautiful green vault – today empty and silent.
Instead of vegetables, there will temporarily be an audiovisual exhibition. Culture yes – but what about everyday life?
Holešovice Market
Once a slaughterhouse. Today a market in transition. Reconstruction continues, but it's not the city center.
Vinohrady Market
An architectural gem that doesn't know what it wants to be. Albert among iron, light, and memory.
3. What could a dream market be?
Prague's dream market isn't just about shopping. It's a ritual, a meeting, an experience.
A place you return to for the atmosphere, not just for cheese.
A space that smells of bread, fresh flowers, and roasted pumpkin.
It should connect:
- Local producers with a direct relationship to ingredients
- Gastro creatives who bring quality and courage
- People who want more than shelves and checkout
4. How could it look?
Architecture:
Covered steel hall with high windows.
Light from above. Elegant rhythm of arches.
Art Nouveau detail connected with minimalist contemporary.
Materials: cast iron, ceramics, wood, glass
Atmosphere: daylight, high ceiling, subtle typography
Inside:
- Farm products
- Design bistros with open kitchen
- Quiet and busier zones
- Gallery with seating upstairs
- Selection of Czech designers for interiors
Alleys:
- Clearly marked rows of stalls – each with its own character
- Main "alley of light" from which side paths branch out
- Hand-written signs, gentle music, pavement underfoot
Restaurants:
- Svíčková reimagined
- Minimalist strudel
- Goulash from local beef
- Ramen next to St. Martin's goose
Community:
- Evening concerts
- Long outdoor tables
- Seasonal celebrations
- Children's corners, herb gardens, views to the streets
5. Why?
Because cities aren't just buildings. They're also tastes, sounds, and scents.
Because it's no longer enough for things to just work.
We need places that inspire.
It could be a place where you take grandma for cake.
A place where children taste their first olive.
A place where an architect photographs the ceiling, a chef tests pumpkin,
and a couple holds hands among apples and pears.
6. And where?
Perhaps right in the Vinohrady Market.
It would take little – determination and vision.
Glass ceiling.
Coffee that smells all the way outside.
And a market that's not just a shopping place, but the heart of the city.
Summary
We don't want just a market.
We want a space that revives the city from within.
Not for tourists.
For us.
Prague's dream market may be closer than we think.
But only if we start dreaming out loud.
Designwise. Honestly. With taste.
This is what Prague could have.
Created by: .GJM