The regional office plans to sell a functionalist house in Prostějov

Prostějov - The Olomouc region plans to sell an unused functionalist building of the order sisters with a chapel in Prostějov, which the Ministry of Culture has decided to declare a cultural monument. According to some experts, an unconsidered sale of the functionalist building could lead to its demolition or insensitive construction modifications. The regional government insists that the planned sale of the property is still in the initial phase and will have to be approved by the regional council and assembly.

The functionalist building, designed by architect Eduard Žáček, was built in Prostějov in 1933. The former nurses' home operated until 2005 as biomedical laboratories in the then hospital complex. In the following years, the building stood empty as the regional office found no use for it. "Although there was past consideration that the building could be used for social services after repairs, the Olomouc region ultimately decided to invest financial resources into already existing social facilities in Prostějov," said regional council spokeswoman Kamila Navrátilová to ČTK.

In 2014, the regional office therefore began preparations to sell this property and has so far received one offer. "The opening of the envelope will take place at the meeting of the commission for property-law matters on May 9," Navrátilová stated, adding that the commission would then evaluate the documents and recommend further action to the council. "If council members propose the sale, this option must be approved by the regional assembly," she added.

Last autumn, several experts and residents of Prostějov submitted a proposal for the functionalist building to be listed as a cultural monument. "As a result of this request, there was a quick response from the Olomouc region, which as the owner offered the building of the order sisters for sale," the architects Jiří Zakopal and Vojtěch Jeřábek stated in a joint declaration, joined by Prostějov resident Ivan Čech.

The authors of the report pointed out that the regional government did not inform potential buyers about the planned listing on the cultural heritage list, which could be a burden for the new owner. "This is another historical object in Prostějov that faces potential demolition in the worst case, and in the better case, an insensitive intervention into the originality of its form, which has remained almost intact for more than 80 years," the statement reads.

According to Navrátilová, the Ministry of Culture informed the regional government about the initiation of administrative proceedings on declaring the house a cultural monument at the end of March. "Until the completion of this procedure, the Olomouc region is obliged to inform the Ministry of Culture about any potential change of ownership of this property," Navrátilová stated. She added that the regional office would inform any interested party about the "technical and legal status" of the building.

A cultural monument can be owned by a natural or legal person. If the functionalist house in Prostějov is listed on the cultural monument list, the owner will have the opportunity to apply for grants from the state and the region, which financially supports the restoration of cultural monuments every year.