The subject is the amendment of the heritage protection of the Melichar Villa complex in Brandýs

Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav – The Central Bohemian Region is negotiating with the Ministry of Culture about the extent of the heritage protection of the Melichar Villa in Brandýs nad Labem. The ministry declared the villa, along with the grounds, a cultural monument last autumn. However, the region, as the owner of the villa, disagreed with the protection extending to the land under modern buildings in the area, where it intends to build a special school and an emergency service station. The region now has a promise from the ministry that after the demolition of the modern buildings and the separation of the land, part of the area could be excluded from heritage protection, said Robert Pecha (KDU-ČSL), the regional councilor for investments and property, to ČTK.

The neo-Renaissance villa with functionalist elements was built in 1902 for the Brandýs entrepreneur and owner of a farm machinery factory, František Melichar. It was designed by the Prague architect Václav Roštlapil, who was also behind the design of the Straka Academy, among others.

"We agreed to demolish the workshops, which will free up space around the villa and create a line further from the villa that will separate the lands, and the protection will be lifted on those further from the villa," Pecha said. According to him, this is a promise related to the public interest of the school and the emergency service. The region aims to complete the demolition of the buildings by spring next year, after which it will apply for the separation of the land and the cancellation of heritage protection.

The new station for rescuers has been planned by the region for several years, originally it was to be in close proximity to the villa. "It would have been a degradation of the building, but fortunately this option fell through after the declaration of heritage protection. We agreed that the new station will be behind the villa, right where the original workshops were," Pecha added. The current emergency station of the regional rescue service in the villa area will temporarily move to another location in Brandýs, according to Pecha. Several options are currently being considered, but no decision has been made yet.

The villa, which was leased by a union school until 2023, is now unused. According to Pecha, the region is negotiating with the Institute of Archaeological Heritage Care of Central Bohemia, which is supposed to relocate to the building. "And we have also agreed that this summer, similarly to last year, the Art House Melichar event will take place there," Pecha added. From mid-August to the end of September, the villa should serve artists; last year's event included workshops, concerts, and visual art exhibitions.