The Faculty of Humanities at Charles University will have a new headquarters

Prague - The new headquarters of the Faculty of Humanities (FHS) is to be built by Charles University from the former student dining hall. Currently, the faculty does not have its own building, and it educates future anthropologists and media specialists in rented spaces across Prague. The new building at the junction of Troja and Holešovice is expected to cost 250 million crowns, with the school aiming to obtain funding from a state grant. This was announced today by the university's vice-rector for development, Stanislav Štech.
    The center of the building will feature a large hall with a skylight, where students and teachers are expected to meet. Seminar and computer classrooms, a library, a dean's office, and a meeting room will also find their place here. "After reconstruction, the dining hall will be the only building of FHS, incorporating all the necessary functions of the faculty," Štech stated.
    The faculty's façade will be glass, and a double skin will reduce noise from the surroundings. The building will appear to be scrawled and printed with letters and symbols on the outside, while the print on the glass surface will allow natural light to pass inside. Of course, the building will have barrier-free access ensured by elevators.
    According to Štech, the current situation for FHS is critically problematic; the school lacks a dedicated building, and students must travel to classrooms throughout Prague for their studies. Therefore, construction work is expected to start this year, with renovations planned to last six years. The Faculty of Humanities has over 2,200 students, offering courses in gender studies, general anthropology, and oral history, for example. The university aims to secure funding for the renovation from a state grant, and if that is not obtained, they intend to take a loan.
    The faculty's headquarters is to be created by converting a dilapidated dining hall, which is located adjacent to the abandoned villas of Milada and Miluška, as well as dormitories. Last week, the manager of these villas, the Institute for Information in Education (ÚIV), had squatters evicted. The land under the villas has now been leased to a private tenant. ÚIV spokesperson Bohumila Beranová told ČTK that they would prefer the university to acquire the villas in the future. However, according to law, they must first offer them to state organizations, and if there is no interest, the villas may be put up for public bidding. The villas can then be acquired by the highest bidder, but a preliminary price estimate has not yet been provided by ÚIV.