The Old Wastewater Treatment Plant, Prague, Czech Republic

The Old wastewater treatment plant (The Old WWTP) is the first modern urban waste water treatment plant in the Czech Republic, a water industry monument whose significance extends beyond the borders of the Czech Republic.In operation from 1906 to 1967, the plant was a part of the modern sewage system built in Prague at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Today it is a testament to a modern and ecological approach to wastewater disposal and provides an understanding of the development and significance of water industry.The value of the monument is indisputable, its preservation for future generations is desirable. The use of the monument and its renewal and maintenance must not impair its authenticity and integrity.This contribution will present a practical example of site management, the forms of access and the activities that are needed to preserve the monument through new uses and in such a form that it is still incorporated into society and its informative value has not been violated. After ten years of experience managing the site, the company Tovarna, z.u. confirms that self-sustaining, financially independent economic self-management as a way of monument preservation is possible. It also confirms the importance of combining professional theoretical and practical experience in a targeted application in the care of a particular monument. In 2009 the historical site was put up for rent by the owner, the City of Prague. In 2018 the expert organizations of heritage in the Czech Republic – the Czech Icomos Comittee and the Czech National Heritage Institute – recommend the registration of the monument on the Tentative list of the Czech Republic.

Keywords:

Industrial Heritage , Tourism , Water Industry , WasteWater Treatment