photo: Jiří Zemen, PrahaIN.cz/Stánek na Staroměstské náměstí
Few food stands in Prague have become as famous as the one with ham on the Old Town Square. He was and is being talked about mainly in negative terms.
A queue like for bananas, tourists enjoying Prague ham with beer in a plastic cup. This is something that you can see together with the Astronomical Clock, the Marian Column or the monument to Master Jan Hus in the Old Town Square.
The stand there with ham and other fast food has been operating for several years.
Some time ago, the media as well as YouTuber and journalist Janek Rubeš were responsible for spreading his not-so-good reputation. The one in his video on the channel Guys from Prague a Honest Guide he pointed out that stallholders often give large portions of food to tourists. A very high price is associated with this.
“We didn’t know exactly how much it was in euros, now that I calculate it on a calculator, it’s probably the most expensive food from a stall I’ve ever had. For 40 euros, I would eat in a restaurant even in Rome,” the Italian tourist said in the video.
Later, the media also began to deal with the ham stand a lot.
We wrote
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Rent for a pittance
He had another dent after it was discovered that the tenant of the area is the Prague Children’s Foundation. The condition is that there will be cultural and social activities and related sales activities.
The foundation still has a very favorable agreement with Prague 1. They pay only two thousand crowns per day, which seems unimaginable for other operators in a similar location.
Termination of the contract has been discussed for some time. The editors were investigating the current situation. We discussed it with Giancarlo Lamberti, the chairman of TOP09 in Prague 1.
He told us that Prague 1 currently has the opinions of two district advisory bodies. These are the Finance Committee and the Commission for Culture and Sports. Both authorities recommended terminating the lease agreement for the property. For completeness, the contract refers to the park behind the Old Town Hall.
“On June 20, the Council instructed the Finance Committee to analyze this contractual relationship and propose appropriate measures. As chairman of the Finance Committee, I will be able to present the next steps to the council on October 17th. I am personally convinced that this is a completely unique location and I would be happy if its future and further use were decided on a public forum, i.e. at the local council. The municipality should behave as transparently as possible in this matter. I even think that the council should reserve the right to decide on any changes to this contract. This is also a matter that we will address at the next meeting of the Finance Committee,” said Giancarlo Lamberti.
Lamberti points out to the Prague Children’s Foundation that cultural and social events are not held here. According to him, the reality is different.
“Therefore, the finance committee looked at the amount of rent that the foundation pays, which is 2,000 crowns per day. The income for the city part, i.e. the rent of two thousand crowns per day, is not adequate in relation to the way of use. A certain complication is that, according to the statute of the Prague Children’s Foundation, the city district has its representatives both in the administrative and supervisory boards. In my opinion, the representatives of the municipal district thus put themselves in the disadvantageous position of a conflict of interest, where on the one hand they have to defend the interests of Prague 1 and on the other hand they must not damage the interests of the foundation with their decisions,” says Lamberti.
The stand mentioned. Source: PrahaIN.cz
The ham stand on the Old Town Square will be around for some time
Even according to the words of the politicians, it does not look like the ham stand will remain here in the future. However, it will not disappear immediately. When the current situation is resolved, by terminating the lease, the notice period should last two years.
“This in itself raises the question of why such a long notice period was agreed upon in the first place, but we would have to ask the previous political representation,” Lamberti told us, adding that it would at least allow the city district to start negotiations with the capital and the Planning Institute and the development of the capital city of Prague about the revitalization of the place.
There is also said to be an architectural competition on site.
According to the chairman of TOP09 in Prague 1, this is a unique place and the district council should take into account its aesthetic value, significance and economic evaluation when developing the concept.
“The council would then submit the concept of future use to the council, which would determine the next direction,” says Lamberti.
Personally, he would like to see, for example, the construction of barrier-free public toilets on the site. According to him, there is a lack of them in the center.
“I think that the current situation has also come about due to a lack of awareness among the public,” adds Lamberti about the current situation around the Prague ham stand.
2023-10-09 11:25:17
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