The owner has started the demolition of the functionalist villa Petřiny in Prague 6

Prague - The owner has started the demolition of the functionalist villa Petřiny in Prague 6. An apartment building will be constructed in place of the residential villa. Last week, the magistrate confirmed the August decision of the building authority of Prague 6, which allowed the demolition. This was reported today by the media representative of the building owner, Michal Donath.

"No violations were found that would infringe on the rights of the participants in the proceedings or other irregularities in the decision and administrative proceedings that would justify revoking the contested decision and halting the proceedings, or revoking and returning the matter for new discussion," states the decision of the magistrate from April 19. An appeal against the decision of the building authority of Prague 6 was filed last August by people from the neighborhood of the villa.

Prague 6 had previously authorized the owner of the building, Jiří Šalda, to demolish the building. However, local residents opposed the demolition and called on politicians to save the functionalist villa. At the suggestion of Prague 6 councilor Antonín Nechvátal (Greens), the Ministry of Culture declared the villa a cultural monument last February. However, the ministry's appeals commission then decided in June to lift the monument protection from the villa. The then Minister of Culture, Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL), labeled the declaration of the building as a monument as "an arbitrary approach of the heritage authorities," Donath quoted him.

The owner draped the villa in black tarpaulin in November 2016 in protest against the actions of the authorities, where one allowed the demolition and the other attempted to declare the building a monument. According to some sources, the Petřín villa from 1939 is attributed to architect Pavel Simon. However, the media representative of the building owner, Donath, states that in the building permit, Václav Všetička is recorded as the author and designated builder.