The former hospital in Moravská Třebová is ready for demolition

Moravská Třebová - The former hospital department in Moravská Třebová in the Svitavy region will this week definitively be brought down. Construction machines will start demolishing it, and nothing will change that, not even the petition against the demolition. This was stated by Mayor Miloš Izák (CSSD) to ČTK. The city plans to keep the land and has no intention of selling it.

According to the mayor, the building is in very poor condition and there is nothing to regret. "Safety considerations took precedence. It has been set on fire five times and as a result of the last fire in January 2016, the roof's structural integrity has been compromised. And kids, youths, and even homeless people keep getting in there. We risk that something might happen," said Izák.

On Thursday, the city council will discuss the petition against the demolition, which is its legal duty. However, the machines will start demolishing the first parts of the building on Tuesday or Wednesday. The construction company has 40 days to leave only a bare plain at the construction site, said Tomáš Kotyza from the Hradec company BISA, which is carrying out the demolition work. "We cleared the building last year," he added.

The building, originally from the early 20th century, was intended for use by the city when it purchased it from the region for four million crowns more than ten years ago. Plans to establish a conference center fell through when it turned out that European grants would be too low.

Neither did the plans of private investors, such as a home for the elderly or starter apartments, materialize. The building has deteriorated significantly, and the town hall wanted to demolish it last year. Ultimately, it had to wait to see if the Ministry of Culture would declare the building a monument based on a citizen's proposal.

The building was originally designed by the prominent regional architect Oskar Czepa, but his design was revised. This is also why heritage preservationists stated that it is indeed a monument of local significance, but does not reach higher protection. Opposition council members then failed to convince the city, along with academics from Masaryk University, to rebuild the facility into a scientific and museum center. The city did not pursue this ongoing option any further, expecting greater activity from the proposers.