The current regulation that governs advertising has been in force in Prague since 2006. Until now, however, it only applied the most strictly protected monument reserves in the historical center of Prague. But that's over now. The new decree, which will enter into force on 1 October 2021, extends the regulation to other protected sites, including Vinohrady, Letná, Dejvice or Smíchov and all areas within the protection zone of the Prague Monument Reserve.
"There are a number of beautiful houses in the protected sites, advertising banners on the facades often cover them, completely changing not only our perception of the architecture of the buildings themselves, but above all the overall impression the space gives us. We have been striving for a long time to improve the quality of public spaces, i.e. the places that we share as residents of the city. I am glad that we are doing so not only through the construction transformation of of streets and squares, but also through legislative steps, which include the regulation approved today,"
says Petr Hlaváček, Deputy Mayor and Councilor for Territorial Development.
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Petr HlaváčekSource: Petr Hloušek / Právo / Profimedia
Advertising in a cultivated form
Hana Třeštíková, Councilor for Culture, Monument Care and Tourism, fully supports the regulation of advertising and the establishment of clear and comprehensible rules. She believes that advertising does belong to the capital, but in a cultivated form.
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Část Prahy s reklamní plachtouSource: Magistrát hlavního města Prahy
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Část Prahy s reklamní plachtouSource: Magistrát hlavního města Prahy
Three degrees of rigor
The newly approved regulation will have three degrees of rigor. The strictest rules will continue to apply in the area of the Prague Monument Reserve. Here, almost nothing changes compared to the current situation. Conservation areas will fall into the second zone. A less strict variant prohibiting the distribution of advertising banners and tarpaulins, advertisements additionally placed on vehicles, but also the distribution of leaflets and pasting posters anywhere else than on approved places will apply here. In the third, least strict zone, only the most disruptive advertisements - advertising banners and advertisements on vehicles will be banned.
Entrepreneurs don't need to to worry
The regulation is designed to apply only to advertising that isn't approved under the Building Act. Entrepreneurs therefore don't have to worry about being prevented from installing advertising equipment near the establishment. It will only be necessary to comply with the provisions of the Prague Building Regulations, which stipulate, for example, the maximum dimensions of advertiseing banners. The building authority will also inspect the design and stability of the carrier. However, uncontrollable placement of tarpaulins and banners on fences or facades of houses is now a thing of the past.
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Část Prahy s reklamní plachtouSource: Magistrát hlavního města Prahy
"I am very pleased that the city is succeeding in continuing to regulate advertising. The Institute of Planning and Development of Prague has long strived to re-create a cultivated public space in Prague, where advertising has its clear rules. That is why we came up with the Manual for the Creation of Public Spaces in 2014, which also contains instructions on how to handle advertising in the city. I believe that the extension of the regulation will bring about changes that will make life in Prague a little better for all of usm"
explains Ondřej Boháč, director of the Institute of Planning and Development in Prague.
The regulation was prepared by the Prague City Council in cooperation with the Institute of Planning and Development of the Capital City of Prague.
