From magic mural to new 'cubes': 7 projects transforming Prague into a city of art

Prague is in the middle of a coordinated wave of urban renewal, and nowhere has that been more visible than Náměstí Jiřího z Poděbrad, which reopened last week to fanfare and mixed reviews.

Across the city, other streets and squares are being redesigned, historic buildings are under renovation, and public spaces are being updated to better serve the people who use them.

The city is investing heavily in these projects. The bigger question is whether the changes will preserve the history, character, and communities that have long defined these places.

Here are six projects coming to a neighborhood near you.

A long-neglected pedestrian tunnel in Žižkov is set to become one of Prague's most unusual art spaces. The Tunel! initiative, backed by art historian and former National Gallery director Jiří Fajt, musician David Koller, and architects Jiří Řezák and Martin Wichterle, plans to transform the 300-meter tunnel into a rolling public gallery, with new installations added in ten-meter sections each year over the next decade.

The first works, spanning mosaic, murals, light and sound installations, video, and sculpture, are expected to go in next year. The shift follows recent efforts to improve safety in the space, including a new 10 km/h speed limit to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and fast-moving cyclists.

This initiative aims to make the 70-year-old tunnel feel safer, cleaner, and more welcoming for the hundreds of commuters and families who pass through it each day.

The Prague Congress Center in Nusle has broken ground on a new Exhibition Hall that will add 5,000 square meters and capacity for 1,500 people to the 45-year-old complex.

Designed by Barcelona-based OCA Architects with Czech studio CMC Architects, the CZK 1.35 billion hall is set for completion in 2028, after which Prague can begin bidding for world congresses it has had to turn away for lack of space.

The structure will stand on columns, leaving publicly accessible space beneath, and is targeting LEED Gold sustainability certification. A redesigned northern terrace overlooking Prague Castle, with a café and barrier-free connection to Vyšehrad metro, will open alongside it.

The heart of Vršovice is set for a major environmental and social upgrade following an international architectural competition to redesign Svatopluk Čech Square. The winning concept tackles modern urban climate challenges by significantly increasing the number of trees, expanding green areas, and introducing smart rainwater management systems to cool the neighborhood during hot summer days.

Locals have been promised a new community space complete with a new central plaza, water features, a café, and public toilets. Feedback about the project was given from over 650 residents.

The Prager Cubes, home to CAMP and IPR Prague, begin reconstruction this July, with both institutions relocating in the autumn. CAMP moves to a former ship repair yard on Pobřežní Street in Karlín; IPR heads to the ArtGen building in Holešovice. The CZK 1.39 billion renovation, the first major work on the complex since 1975, is expected to take three years, with both institutions returning in 2029.

When the scaffolding comes down, the buildings should look closer to Karel Prager's original 1970s vision; the black glass added to the façade in the 1980s will be stripped back, restoring the complex's characteristic plasticity, while the long-uninhabitable rooftop terraces are finally set to open as a garden.

The iconic modernist complex housing the Center for Architecture and Metropolitan Planning (CAMP) and the Prague Institute of Planning and Development (IPR) is closing its doors this summer for its first major renovation since 1973.

As part of the wider congress center development, the currently underutilized northern terrace of the Prague Congress Center, a stretch of brutalist infrastructure long overlooked by anyone not attending a conference, is set for a full redesign.

When the new Exhibition Hall opens in 2028, the terrace will gain a café, a public lookout over Prague Castle, outdoor seating.

The most practical upgrade: a new elevator linking the terrace directly to Vyšehrad metro (Line C), closing a long-standing accessibility gap that has made the area difficult to reach for wheelchair users, people with disabilities, and parents with strollers.

A 700-meter concrete wall on Vlastina Street in Prague's Ruzyně district is being transformed into one of Europe's most ambitious street art projects.

Thirty Czech and international artists have been working on the Mural Ruzyně project since mid-June, covering roughly 1,800 square meters under a unified theme, The Beauty of the City in Motion, with each artist free to interpret it however they chose.

When complete, it will be the third longest collaborative mural in Europe.

Prague 6 spent years negotiating with the Ministry of Defense, which owns the wall, before securing permission. Artists including Michal Škapa, Toy Box, Chemis, Sany, and Jakub Tytykalo are among those taking part. The work runs through June 30 as part of the Urban Pictus festival and will remain publicly accessible along Vlastina Street.

A planned railway overpass in Libeň, Libeňský přesmyk, will separate busy passenger and freight lines that currently share a bottlenecked intersection, improving rail flow between central Prague and the eastern districts.

Residents were recently invited to vote on how the space beneath the overpass should be used. Options included an amphitheater with a café, playgrounds, and parkour and skate facilities. Construction, however, is not expected to begin until the early 2030.