Freestyle Park Modřany Open to Public (Portal of Prague)

A new recreational area has been created on the Modřany bank of the Vltava where people can come to play beach volleyball, badminton, pétanque, frisbee or to go in-line skating and skateboarding. There is also a separate BMX area.

Freestyle Park Modřany is run by an association of the same name. Since the park cover about 28 000 square metres of the first flood zone, facilities such as changing rooms, showers, toilets, club and restaurant will be located on a ship. It was originally a cargo ship, named Josef Božek, which was built in 1956 and had to be reconstructed. “The reconstruction took one and a half years. When we took the ship out of water, it leaked. We had to completely rebuild its bottom,” said Mr. Lec. A superstructure made of about 250 tonnes of steel was then added to the ship.

The vessel is connected with all underground services buried under dry land, yet its keeper says that it is a self-sufficient vessel and if needed, it can be moved to the safety port in Smíchov.

Builders also had to adjust the area of a former concrete mixing plant and a work material company near Belárie tram stop. The concrete surface was removed and replaced with interlocking pavement. The local cycle path and in-line track have been moved to the embankment, where a new carpark was built as well. “We also had to lay some 800 metres of sewerage and built our own trafostation,” said Mr. Lec.

Freestyle Park Modřany project was created in 2005. One year later, the project received its first subsidies. For the reconstruction of the ship, the project obtained 55 million CZK from the JPD2 Programme of the European Funds, the State budget and the City budget. A further 18 million CZK to renovate the area came from Praha Konkurenceschopnost Operation Project. The association itself invested approximately 20 million CZK. “A part of that sum came from our business activities profits and we also borrowed 15 million,” added Mr. Lec. They plan to earn money from the restaurant and from the organization of various sports and private events. Already next year, the park is to host the BMX 2010 World Championship.

Getting to the new sports centre is easy. Parking and entrance is free of charge. Fees apply to renting sports grounds, concert tickets, etc. From the 28th to 30th of August, Freestyle Park Modřany will host the successful Autokina Fabia project organized by Škoda Mladá Boleslav.

Source: ČTK, Prague City Hall