A blob on the horizon

It all started with his success in an international competition nearly six years ago. Since then, the debate over that result has raged on, dividing opinion among members of the public, politicians and architects. Now, the groundbreaking yet controversial plans by the late Jan Kaplický for a new National Library could finally be realized, although not as they were originally intended.

In an interview with daily Právo earlier this month, Kaplický's widow, Eliška Kaplický Fuchsová, revealed how the presidential election had reignited efforts to build the design, nicknamed "the Blob," on Rohanský Island in Prague 8. Instead of a library, it would be transformed into a social and cultural center. However, she said much depended on the victor of the second-round runoff, with the now-defeated Karel Schwarzenberg her preferred choice.

"The whole vision will become clear when it's known who our next president will be," Kaplický Fuchsová said Jan. 22. "I hope that after successful elections we will be able to continue talks with [property developer] Sekyra Group and push forward the idea of implementing the project."

Schwarzenberg openly expressed his admiration for Kaplický's design during a protest rally in 2009, telling the 1,000-strong crowd it was a "great 21st-century work of art." Although Sekyra Group has declined to elaborate on the plans, saying only it is "premature" to comment on them, it seems unlikely the foreign affairs minister's failure to reach Prague Castle will dampen hopes for a project that has already endured years of doubt and delay.

From the moment Kaplický beat 355 other entries to win a tender to construct a new National Library in Letná Park in March 2007, his creation sparked strong reactions from all concerned. Critics argued its unorthodox shape, not to mention its distinctive purple and green coloring, would ruin Prague's skyline.

Even former and current presidents waded into the debate. Václav Havel gave his blessing to the design, while Václav Klaus - never one to shy away from a clash with his predecessor - vehemently opposed the plans. He once said he would prevent the building of the library with his own body. The final nail in the coffin came from then-Prague Mayor Pavel Bém, who, looking to curry favor with Klaus, made a dramatic U-turn and withdrew City Hall's support for the project.

"In terms of its height and size, it's unlikely to suit the location," he told Czech Radio in October 2007. "It would better suit Prosek or Pankrác, where it would make the area more attractive. Some not particularly attractive district would become another of the city's jewels."

With the 4 billion Kč construction price tag also deemed to be too expensive, and the European Commission ruling that the competition didn't adhere to Czech law, plans for the project were finally scrapped the following year. The dispute cost National Library head Vlastimil Ježek his job after he refused to cancel the tender.

"I'm pleased Jan Kaplický's project has a new chance," Ježek told The Prague Post. "At the same time, however, I will always be sad the National Library will not be housed in his building. I will never forget the way Pavel Bém and his pack of bandits, supported by Václav Klaus, destroyed our plans and how they ruined the last two years of Jan Kaplický's life. It's impossible to forget something like that." 

Kaplický, who was also behind the daring sequin-clad Selfridges store in Birmingham in the United Kingdom (where he lived for 40 years), died age 71 of a heart attack four years ago, tragically on the same day his daughter was born. The stress of trying to see the "grand finale" of his career through to its conclusion is thought to have contributed to his condition.

If Kaplický's dream is to be fulfilled, the project will first need planning permission from Prague 8 Council. According to Právo, quoting Prague 8 spokeswoman Helena Šmídová, that process could take up to six months. City Hall would only be involved if somebody appealed the council's decision, Šmídová added. But given the furor that has erupted so far, that appears highly probable.

Jonathan Crane can be reached at
jcrane@praguepost.com