The part of the applied arts school in Karlovy Vary is in a state of emergency

Karlovy Vary - The Karlovy Vary Region has prohibited entry to a residential building in the complex of the Secondary School of Art and Design in Karlovy Vary. The reason is the poor static condition of the building. Tenants of all eight apartments must leave their homes by this evening. The poor condition of the building had been known for some time, but the relocation of residents had to be expedited based on a new static assessment, said regional councilor Jaroslav Bradáč (SPO) to reporters today.

"Currently, the older part of the art and design school is closed, and provisional building modifications, so-called underpinning, have been carried out. According to today's order from the building authority, tenants must vacate," said Bradáč.

According to the original static assessment, the condition of the building was poor, but residents were given several weeks to find new housing. Today, they learned that they are not allowed to even stay overnight in the rental apartments. "The tenants of six apartments have already found new housing on their own. We are still looking for suitable accommodation for the residents of two apartments. During the time it takes to find it, they have the option of staying at a dormitory in Karlovy Vary," added the councilor. The region will also contribute a maximum of 10,000 crowns for moving expenses, and they will receive 40,000 crowns as a gift to assist in finding a replacement apartment.

The emergency state of the building on one of the busiest streets in Karlovy Vary surprised the region. This is despite the fact that cracks had appeared in the building back in 2015, and recently, classes had to be interrupted in a new laboratory that is also located in this part of the school. "The building dates from around 1920. So-called aluminous cement was used in its construction. After about 100 years, this cement loses its strength and can even destroy the steel reinforcement," said Bradáč. The region will now wait for the results of analyses on how to handle the listed building. One option is that the house may need to be demolished. The same material was used, for example, in the construction of Baťa's house in Mariánské Lázne, which was demolished in 2015.

Teaching in the newer part of the school should not be significantly disrupted despite these problems. However, it will complicate life for the tenants. "I've lived here for 60 years and have to move out in one day. You know what a disaster it is - starting a new life at 82 years old? I thought I would spend my old age here," said one of the tenants, Miroslava Koubová, to ČTK. She and other tenants were even more surprised by the order since no cracks or other problems had appeared in their apartments. "We thought we would have time to sort everything out. This way, we will probably leave most of our things here," commented other residents of the building, the Sláb family.

After all residents have been evacuated, the region will ensure the security of the building, and the entry ban will remain in effect.