The Ministry of Culture will not declare the Kladno railway station a monument; it will be replaced by a new one

Prague - The Ministry of Culture will not designate the Kladno train station as a monument; builders will demolish it. The main reason for not initiating administrative proceedings for potential monument designation is the previously issued final permit from the Transport and Energy Construction Office for the demolition of the building. This is a fundamental reason for not designating the structure as a cultural monument, as the owner of the building and land acquired rights in good faith to demolish the structure, said Ivana Awwadová from the ministry in response to a query from ČTK today. The station is set to be replaced by a terminal that meets current needs during the modernization of the Prague - Kladno line. The ministry's decision was highlighted by the website HN.cz.

The proposal to designate the station as a monument was submitted by architect Václav Kruliš, who mentioned cultural and historical values in his submission that the new building would not replace. According to Kladno council member and architect Ondřej Rys (Choice for Kladno), the original historical building was never designed for use by passengers but rather as an administrative facility for railway employees. Several modifications followed, and now it is in a state of disrepair. It no longer has one of its most interesting features, the cast-iron roofing of the platform. According to the original plan, a separate underpass was to be built next to the station. "The new design connects these two aspects," Rys stated, adding that it will be significantly more comfortable for passengers.

"The Ministry of Culture, based on the gathered materials, has concluded that the heritage values of the station building currently appear to be questionable. Primarily, this concerns the significant reduction in authenticity due to the degradation of the building's interior, such as the removal of cast-iron elements and flooring, and modifications of the window openings on the southeast façade," Awwadová stated. According to her, the ministry noted that there is no legal entitlement to initiate proceedings to declare the building a cultural monument, and in this case, no legal grounds were found for commencing such proceedings, especially considering the rights acquired in good faith concerning the aforementioned building and its problematic heritage values.

Nela Eberl Friebová, spokesperson for the Railway Administration, previously informed ČTK that the administration will wait for an official decision regarding the building's status before proceeding with possible demolition. They can now continue with the preparation for the construction of the new one.

The station known as Vejhybka has been in operation since 1855. The Prague - Rakovník and Kladno - Kralupy nad Vltavou lines pass through here. It is easily accessible, for example, from the municipal district of Kročehlavy, located about two kilometers from the center of Kladno. Kladno councillors approved a modification to the land use plan at the last meeting, allowing the creation of a new station and accompanying buildings on the areas around the current station.