Driving ban on Prager Straße: Danger of collapse forces closure!

Driving ban on Prager Straße: Danger of collapse forces closure!

From now on, Prager Straße in Dresden above the underground car park and the access buildings below is closed to cars and trucks. This measure became necessary after a structural structural inspection in May 2025 confirmed that the building, built in 1970, could not withstand a critical stability test. In order to ensure the safety of passers-by and the structure of the building, the underground structure was now secured with safety supports. The city of Dresden reports this in its press release, which also addresses the comprehensive measures that were taken in response to the audit.

The city has already placed twelve trees in plant troughs between the two sales pavilions on Prager Strasse to prevent vehicles from entering. In addition, bollards and concrete guardrails were installed in front of the Hotel Occidental Dresden Newa and near the Cineplex Kristallpalast. These measures serve to significantly increase safety in public spaces and at the same time ensure the stability of the structure, which is considered one of the longest residential buildings in Germany. Fire brigade plans for the pavilions and the Prague Row are currently being revised in order to be able to act quickly in an emergency.

Security measures and costs

The city expected costs of around 12,000 euros for the driving ban and the barriers. It is particularly important that pedestrians and cyclists are not affected by the restrictions on the Prague Line. This means the area remains accessible to them, while car drivers and truck drivers have to rethink their approach.

The building, which was built between 1965 and 1967 in prefabricated construction, comprises twelve floors and has a total of 561 apartments. The renovation in 2007, which also took senior-friendly living into account, was awarded the “Future Living 2009” architecture prize in the “Living in Existing Buildings” category. It consists of five statically independent building parts. But now the next challenge lies ahead: the underground access system and the underground car park urgently need to be upgraded. Initial planning work is already underway in the City of Dresden’s Office for Building Construction and Real Estate.

With these measures, the city of Dresden is once again showing that it has a good hand when it comes to ensuring safety and quality of life in urban areas. The Prager Row remains an important part of Dresden's cityscape, and the upcoming work will ensure that it remains so.

For further information you can view the reports dresden.de, dawo-dresden.de and bgib.de read up.