The owner of Petrova bouda faced a fine of two million crowns

Špindlerův Mlýn (Trutnovsko) - The owner of the burned Petra mountain lodge in the Krkonošsko region faced a fine of up to two million crowns if the building was not secured against moisture and wind within two months. This is reported in today’s edition of Hospodářské noviny (HN).
      "We visited Petra mountain lodge at the turn of February and March this year. A colleague was skiing there and noticed that the lodge was in a completely devastated state. The windows were broken, and the whole building was waterlogged," said HN the secretary of the Vrchlabí town hall, Pavel Řehák. Therefore, the town hall initiated administrative proceedings with the company Snowy Chalet, which owns the property. "We ordered that the owner must secure the lodge, that is, protect it from moisture and wind. If they failed to do this, the company faced a fine of up to two million crowns. We would lean more towards the upper limit," Řehák stated.
      The company Snowy Chalet is controlled by the IT entrepreneur Vladimír Kovář. Company representative Karel Janda told HN that they were aware of the looming fine and denied any intention to avoid the repairs of the deteriorating lodge. "Even before Petra burned down, we made arrangements with the town's heritage officer. We were there with her in the second half of July and agreed on how to provisionally secure the lodge," Janda said. According to him, the company planned to repair the windows and walls, secure the roof, and replace the carpets.
      "I met with them and they said they were already looking for companies. This week they wanted to start the repairs. They were supposed to contact me, but no one called. Instead, I received a call on Monday from Špindlerův Mlýn that Petra was on fire," reported the heritage officer of the Vrchlabí Municipal Office, Marta Žídková.
      The heritage-listed Petra lodge burned down on Monday; only part of the outer walls and a transformer station were salvaged from the entire complex. During the Thursday examination of the rubble, a police dog indicated four locations where chemical substances could be present. From the marked sites, police technicians secured burnt rubble to be sent for chemical testing. Firefighters previously reported that the fire at the heritage-protected building was most likely set intentionally. The company Snowy Chalet is reportedly preparing a project for the construction of a new mountain lodge on the site of the burned building.
      Petra lodge, which is located at an altitude of 1,288 meters above sea level, has been closed to tourists since 2008. In recent years, the building was damaged by moisture and vandalism. According to some experts, the structure faced the risk of collapse due to its poor technical condition.