People filed objections to the zoning proceedings for the construction of Havl's library

Prague - The Club for Old Prague, residents of neighboring buildings, and the last inhabitant of the house, Bohumil Vejtasa, have submitted their objections to the zoning proceedings for the reconstruction of the historic house into the Václav Havel Library. They did so today during the discussion of the zoning proceedings directly in the building. The construction department of Prague 1 and conservationists from the Prague city hall will now assess the construction project and the comments. After that, Prague 1 will issue its opinion, said Prague 1 spokesperson Veronika Blažková today.
The zoning proceedings were interrupted last year and have now been resumed after the investor revised the construction plans and the criticized ventilation system was relocated from the roof to the interior of the building.
The house U Drahomířina sloupu from the 16th century in Hradčany is to be converted into the library. Today's objections primarily concern the extent of the basement under the courtyard. It is said that the underpinning is oversized, unnecessary, and could jeopardize the stability of the house and surrounding buildings. Residents from the vicinity are also concerned that the construction modifications might open up water springs that exist in the area. Another criticism was directed at the roofing of the courtyard.
The Club for Old Prague sees in both cases an unpleasant precedent for future modifications of surrounding houses. The Scientific Council of the National Heritage Institute admitted on Friday that partial basements of part of the courtyard could be considered while respecting existing structures and roofing the courtyard for the creation of a social space.
Architect Marek Tichý, who is involved in the preparation of the plans, stated on Friday that the form of the project is not yet final and will change. "The planned construction interventions completely contradict the ethics of handling protected heritage according to all currently applicable legislation," emphasized the Club for Old Prague.
The conclusions from Friday's Scientific Council will serve as a basis for the statement from the conservationists of the NPÚ and then for the verdict from the Prague city hall, which will be binding.
The historic house U Drahomířina sloupu was purchased by entrepreneur Zdeněk Bakala, whose foundation sponsors the current activities of the Havel Library, which has been operating since 2004 and is currently located in Prague 2. The Club for Old Prague and the Scientific Council of the NPÚ were also dissatisfied with the planned construction of a large residence to be built together with the library. The project was prepared by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill. Besides the library, the building is also to house some non-governmental organizations. Bakala estimated the reconstruction costs at approximately 200 million crowns.