PSN turns Prague's Koh-i-noor factory into new district

The company PSN has begun construction work on the site of the former Koh-i-noor factory in Prague's Vršovice — a large-scale project worth around three billion crowns, overseen by company manager Max Skala, with the architectural concept developed by the studio Jakub Cígler Architekti.

The nearly two-hectare industrial site will become a new residential part of Vršovice: it will include around 600 apartments, thirty commercial units and green public spaces. PSN acquired the site back in 2018, aware that the abandoned factory would need a comprehensive redevelopment. The project has become one of the largest in the company's portfolio.

“Koh-i-noor is a place that has shaped the face of Vršovice for decades, and we want to treat its history with respect,” says Max Skala, manager at PSN.

In the first phase, the developer will offer around 345 apartments — mostly compact 1+kk and 2+kk units, though a quarter of the offering will be aimed at families. The first residents are expected to move in during the second half of 2029, with sales starting in early 2027. Eight retail units will also be built as part of the first phase.

The project team is paying particular attention to preserving the industrial heritage: plans call for restoring the factory chimney, the former machine workshop building and the adjustment building. Thanks to a new steel extension, the chimney will regain its original height.

“From the very start it was clear that we needed to preserve the workshop and several other buildings, including the factory chimney — it's thanks to them that the place will keep its genius loci,” said architect Jakub Cígler.

The factory site, closed to the public for decades, will become a through-route for the district after redevelopment, with pedestrian paths linking neighbouring streets. The site's history goes back to 1902 — production here ran for 120 years and was closely tied to the companies Waldes and, later, Koh-i-noor, which made the Vršovice factory known far beyond Prague.

By the Around Prague newsroom