Czech-Turkish park to be built in Prague

ISTANBUL

Turkish and Czech authorities have agreed to construct a park in Prague 6 (a district in the Czech capital) to mark the 100th anniversary of the friendship and diplomatic relations between the two countries, the municipal council has announced.

"The commencement of diplomatic relations between Türkiye and Czechoslovakia, which we celebrate this year as the centenary, dates back to the early days of the Czechoslovak Republic. Upon a request from Turkish Ambassador Egemen Bağış, a decision-making process reached its final approval. The Czech-Turkish Cooperation Park will be built in Petriny," the Prague 6 municipality stated in a written statement on April 21.

The foundation of the park will be laid on June 6, the statement said, adding that approximate cost of the project will be around 750,000 Czech crowns (nearly $32,000), with the Turkish authorities “ready to cover half of the cost through sponsors.”

The park will be equipped with plaques and other structures inscribed with the valuable remarks of modern Türkiye founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

The municipality mapped the area along the street named "Ankarska" by the inspiring Turkish capital Ankara about 20 years ago, with a study prepared to include the structuring and arrangement of the area as a park within the project.

The municipality has also added some informative elements about Czech-Turkish bilateral cooperation to the project for visitors. On the benches and panels in the park, there will be information about the founding leaders of the two countries who established diplomatic relations a century ago, Atatürk and Tomas Garrigue Masaryk, as well as their historical quotations.

The project earlier became a topic of discussion as the Turkish Embassy's bid to install a 3-meter statue of Atatürk in the Czech capital was turned down by local authorities.