| Generální projektant | New Visit s.r.o. |
| Klient | Město Poděbrady |
| Autoři | ing. et ing. Tomáš Jiránek, ing. arch. Marek Lehmann |
| Spoluautoři | Ondřej Černík, DiS., ing. Adéla Jiránková, ing. Vlastimil Koupal, Ing. Simona Šafránková |
The rehabilitation project of the Central Spa Park in Poděbrady was initiated in 2002. Implementation took place between 2003 and 2007, in successive spatially defined phases. The aim was to respect the era of the park’s origin—particularly the 1930s—while sensitively embedding it into the early 21st century.
The park functions as a green urban square, bordered by a street-level parterre with residential buildings, spa houses, civic amenities, and public services. A key part of the project was also the rehabilitation of the main spa promenade.
The park is conceived as a unified green space at the heart of the city. It is both a place for relaxation and an important social venue. People of all generations meet here—from children to seniors—as well as visiting spa guests.
The town of Poděbrady, firmly believing in the power of the relationship between high-quality public space, the tradition of garden art, and the spa’s therapeutic and rehabilitation culture, recognized the need to restore its deteriorating spa park to a European standard. This proved to be a wise and forward-thinking vision.
The implementation of this extensive project—including the modernization of the main spa promenade—triggered a rapid revitalization of the spa infrastructure and the growth of local private services and business activities. Investment in the quality of public urban space sparked a renewed desire among people to live and do business in the town. Cafés, restaurants, and spa houses are all natural extensions of this transformation.
The park is filled with classic spa elements: water fountains, colonnades, and—last but not least—a richly layered composition of trees, shrubs, and both perennial and annual flowers.
Surrounded by perimeter block development initiated in the 1930s based on architect František Janda’s Regulatory Plan, the park—now T. G. Masaryk Square—is framed by two streets lined with buildings. One of them serves as the spa promenade connecting the square to the train station. Although it was originally included in the project, a decision—made against the authors’ recommendation—led to the proposed surface being replaced with asphalt.
Nevertheless, the promenade, together with the park, has since become a lively space, activated by relaxation, cultural events, and commercial activity following the completion of the project.
Work on the rehabilitation of the Central Spa Park began in 2002, with implementation carried out in a series of spatially coherent phases between 2003 and 2007. The main objective of the project was to respect the park’s original character—rooted in the 1930s—while thoughtfully integrating it into the contemporary context.
From a compositional perspective, the park can be divided into three main parts: the formally designed neoclassical northern section; the central area conceived in the neo-picturesque style of an English landscape park; and the southernmost part near the town square, which—prior to the project—showed the least distinct historical features and was therefore interpreted in a contemporary manner. The character of each section informed a specific approach to its restoration.
At the compositional center—not only of the rectangular park, but also of the radial urban plan of the new part of the town—is the spa spring, housed in a unique colonnade named after Prof. Dr. Václav Libenský, a pioneer of Czechoslovak cardiology. The colonnade, built in 1938 by architect Vojtěch Kerhart, is a simple yet striking structure. It serves as a gentle transitional element between the formal neoclassical section of the park—where it concludes the axis with a glazed pavilion topped by a glass-concrete dome—and the freer, more naturalistic landscape part, into which it opens through the rhythm and openness of its colonnaded form.
The building, designed in the functionalist style with Art Deco nuances, also underwent a complete restoration as part of the project and is now listed as a cultural heritage monument.
