Flower carpet laid on Old Town Square

From Sept. 3 to 5, people visiting Old Town Square were treated to a traditional Belgian flower carpet made of 150,000 handpicked begonias from Belgium.

The carpet was put together in five hours Sept. 3 by a group of 30 student volunteers under the direction of Belgian designer Marc Schauttert, and featured the crest of the city of Prague and the logo of the Belgian European Union presidency - which began in July - as well as Art Nouveau motifs.

The carpet was a small-scale replica of one created every other year for Brussels' Grand Place, which utilizes 1,000,000 flowers, and was sponsored by the Belgian government in commemoration of its EU Council presidency.

Dignitaries at the opening said the carpet also represented unity between Belgium and the Czech Republic, and the ceremonial ribbon was cut by Prague Deputy Mayor Marie Kousalíková.

The event's organizer, Alain Decraene, who has served as the economic and commercial attaché of Flanders in Prague for the past seven years, said he had his own personal reasons for working to get the flower carpet in Prague.

"I knew about the floral carpet in Belgium, but I always have lived outside of Belgium, so I thought it would be a good idea to have [one] in Prague," Decraene said. "It's a little emotional; I've been living in Prague for seven years, and next year I am moving. It's a goodbye present."

Cat Contiguglia can be reached at
ccontiguglia@praguepost.com