Location: Kadaň, Czech Republik
Client: The City of Kadaň

BigMat International Architecture Award 2015

Projektil was the general designer of the revitalization of the entire riverbank in Kadaň and also the authors of the section below Kadaň Castle. Before the revitalization, the riverbank was neglected, impassable, with remnants of a major redevelopment in the 1970s. The revitalization thus rediscovers the banks of the Ohře River for the royal town of Kadaň. It creates a series of intimate public spaces with different atmospheres and uses. All these embankment piers, squares, and parks are connected by a path for pedestrians and cyclists, which is also part of a large cycle path along the Ohře River. Thanks to the possibility of boat parking and boat rental, pedestrians, cyclists, and water sports enthusiasts meet below the castle.

In the narrowest part of the area directly below the castle, there was already a historic retaining wall that survived the redevelopment. This was preserved and formed the basis of the entire design. Downstream, it was supplemented and connected to another embankment wall above the weir. Upstream, it was bridged by a new structure and became the side wall of the new spaces under the bridge called Zajícův převis (Zajíc's Overhang). These spaces not only provide access to the river, but also contain public toilets, a summer refreshment stand, and a boat rental. The pedestrian promenade on the edge of the embankment wall connects the entire area. Below the castle, it widens into a small square with stairs and an entrance down to Zajícův převis. It then continues downstream to the newly built pier and on to the weir. Between this footpath and Říční Street is a cultivated urban meadow where open-air concerts are held. The parking lot below the walls is purposefully divided into several segments and graded with different surface treatments (stone, gravel) so that cars are not conspicuous in the area. The rocky slope below the city walls, now grazed by goats, is awaiting renovation, including the possibility of expanding the development in part of its historic areas prior to demolition.

Project: 2004 – 2012
Implementation – Part II: 2012 - 2014
Implementation – Part III: 2010 - 2012 

Author: Roman Brychta, Adam Halíř, Ondřej Hofmeister, Petr Lešek
Designer of the path from the pier to the weir and conceptual designer of the embankment: Vít Branda
Co-operating architect: Rudolf Wiszczor, Bohdana Linhartová, Marek Sankot

Supplier - Part II: Petrom stavby s.r.o.
Supplier - Part III: Joel s.r.o.
Fotography: Andrea Thiel Lhotáková