Negotiations for the transfer of the Invalidovna have not progressed much in six months

Prague - Six months after the unsuccessful auction of the baroque complex of Invalidovna, it is unclear whether and when it will be transferred to the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ). The transfer of property from one state organization to another has not progressed much in six months. The Ministry of Culture immediately supported NPÚ after it declared an interest in utilizing the building. It now states that it will only discuss seeking funding sources with the Ministry of Finance in March. The reconstruction will cost hundreds of millions of crowns. Invalidovna is proposed as a national cultural monument.

The government approves the declaration of national cultural monuments; according to ČTK information, the program of discussion should include the 18 proposed monuments by the end of February. If the building became a national monument, it would likely pose an obstacle to its commercial use. However, a new auction is probably not being prepared.

NPÚ spokesman Jan Cieslar told ČTK that the institute is still negotiating the transfer with the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM), which currently manages Invalidovna and wanted to sell it. He does not wish to comment on the details.

"We are waiting for the NPÚ's application to be supplemented so that we can evaluate it according to the law," stated ÚZSVM spokesman Radek Ležatka to ČTK. The spokesman for the Ministry of Culture, Simona Cigánková, added that the ministry "consistently supports the transfer of Invalidovna to NPÚ."

According to the Ministry of Culture, numerous meetings have taken place among all four institutions mentioned. "Technical matters requested by ÚZSVM, especially securing financing, are now being addressed. Therefore, a meeting with the Ministry of Finance is planned for March, where specific options for finding financing sources or revitalizing the building will be discussed," Cigánková said. NPÚ would likely have to cover the reconstruction costs, but it is unclear whether the MK budget would be expanded for this purpose. Repairs of the headquarters of national cultural institutions are currently financed from the National Cultural Heritage Care Program; however, NPÚ is not included in it and has not yet been among the institutions that the program could expand to.

NPÚ expressed interest in the historical object even before the auction date. However, it officially expressed interest in the transfer only after the auction, which last August did not attract any bidders. The starting price was 637.7 million crowns.

According to NPÚ management and some academic workers or civic initiatives, the extensive building in Karlín should remain in state hands, and new uses should be sought for it. After the auction, preservationists stated that they wanted to open the baroque complex to the public and use it as the headquarters of the institute, or possibly for some other contributory organizations of the Ministry of Culture and other sectors. Some experts believe that if a complete renovation is undertaken, the reconstruction of Invalidovna could cost up to 2.5 billion crowns.

Invalidovna previously belonged to the army, and there were also archives of other institutions in it, but after being damaged by flooding and the relocation of the archives, the army declared the object unnecessary. The area is a cultural monument.