Babiš is considering student dormitories in the Karlín barracks

Prague - In the Karlín barracks, student dormitories and offices for state administration could be established, discussed Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO) and Deputy Prime Minister Karel Havlíček (for ANO) during their visit to the area today. According to them, this is still just an idea. The Prime Minister inspected the historical buildings, which the city's magistrate is interested in, after the event to open the Negrelli Viaduct. Kateřina Arajmu, the general director of the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters, stated that new functions for the barracks must be accompanied by a change in the urban plan, as the area is still registered as a military purpose facility. The statement from the Prague magistrate is being verified by ČTK.

Arajmu considers it realistic to implement the change in the urban plan in agreement with the city within two years. "The reconstruction itself will take five to six years," she told journalists. She described student hostels or possibly apartments as a meaningful intention for the use of the area, which her office currently manages. The general director of ÚZSVM is currently preparing to conclude a new contract with the tenants of the area within a month.

Babiš mentioned that the government will work on the new use of the area. According to Havlíček, it is worth considering connecting the construction of student dormitories for several Prague universities with the intention of merging offices of the Road and Motorway Directorate (ŘSD) and the Railway Administration (SŽ). "It would be a good service; the state would not lose out, it would appreciate the property. And what more could you wish for than for young people to have activities here," commented Havlíček on the plan for student dormitories. "Whether this could also be combined with the SŽ and ŘSD headquarters is a different matter; we are rather looking for a tool on how to build it. If, for example, our infrastructure for our investors in transport were built here, perhaps it could be combined with the dormitories," he stated. This is only the first idea, he added.

Prague had previously expressed interest in the extensive facility, stating that it could house magistrate officials, but this was ultimately rejected. Now, Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) is talking about apartments. Most recently, he stated on social media in February that the capital city is still interested in acquiring the Karlín barracks area. At that time, ÚZSVM reported that the office had repeatedly offered the city an exchange of the area for fields in Letňany, which Babiš wants for an administrative complex.

Unlike state institutions, municipalities cannot directly apply for real estate managed by ÚZSVM. The city leadership has unsuccessfully advocated for municipalities to at least have a right of first refusal on state property. There is currently tension between ÚZSVM and Prague, with the mayor repeatedly stating that the office, or specifically Prime Minister Babiš, is blocking already agreed property exchanges with the city. The reason is said to be the magistrate's unwillingness to provide state-owned plots in Letňany for the construction of the administrative complex. Babiš denied this.

The barracks in Karlín, built between 1845 and 1848, ceased their original function after the turn of the millennium, although the Ministry of Defense used them for some time afterward. The building has been completely empty since 2013. Subsequently, the Ministry of Justice showed interest in the building, intending to establish a judicial palace there. This plan eventually fell through, and last year the property was taken over by ÚZSVM. The building is largely preserved in its original condition. It has been protected as a historical monument since 1958.