In the 1990’s it seemed that the Palace of Culture was just a burden and opinions were voiced to start bulldozers and erase the building to the ground despite all the millions that it had cost and the pomp with which it had been built. However, it turned out that the bulldozers were not needed. The building stayed where it was and served its purpose during numerous significant events. Later on, the place became an important venue for international congresses, which proved that the decision taken by the new management of the Centre had been a good one.
The Prague Congress Centre, originally the Palace of Culture, is a vast neo-functional building located on the edge of Nusle Valley between Nusle Bridge and Pankrác Square. The construction of the building started in 1976 and finished in 1981. Originally, the building was called the Palace of Culture and was meant to host meetings of the Communist Party. In December 1989, it was there that the negotiations about the composition of the first Czechoslovakian Post-November government took place. In 1995, the Palace of Culture was renamed to Congress Centre. Between the years 1998 and 2000, the building underwent an important renovation and it was extended. At present, the Congress Centre offers twenty lecture theatres and fifty saloons with the capacity from 12 to 2764 people. The biggest room is the so called Congress Hall with the capacity of 2764 people. Then there is also the Social Hall with the capacity of 1034 people and another 18 fully air-conditioned rooms with the capacity from 80 to 700 people. In addition to this there are tens of little saloons. The Prague Congress Centre ranks amongst the largest and well equipped congress centres in Europe. It is the venue of many important conferences, congresses, business negotiations, seminars, company presentations, press conferences, fairs, exhibitions, basis and banquets. Since the renovation, the building hosted with a great success a number of events of worldwide significance; in September 2000 the meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group, in November 2002, a NATO summit.
The biggest pride of the Prague Congress Centre is its Congress Hall, which runs through the first up to the fourth floor. Its acoustics were developed by a group of leading Czech and foreign experts and thanks to them the acoustics of the Congress Hall are one of the best in the world. With its parameters, it is comparable with e.g. the Royal Albert Hall in London or Wilfrid – Peletiera in Montreal or the Boston Concert Hall. The dimensions of the stage allow for concerts of big musical bodies with up to 100 musicians.
The location of the Congress Centre is quite unique in Prague, as it can be seen practically from all angles, which means that it is one of the landmarks of the Czech capital. What is more, it offers a unique view of the city with the world-famous skyline of Prague Castle, as well as many churches, palaces and ancient buildings of the historical centre.