The Ministry of Culture refused to declare Hotel Praha a monument

Prague - The Ministry of Culture has decided not to initiate proceedings on whether Hotel Prague in Dejvice could be declared a cultural monument. Art historian Milena Bartlová told ČTK today that she, along with other experts, submitted a proposal to declare the hotel a monument in February. The ministry made its decision on June 11, two days after the new owner of the hotel, the PPF group, announced that it would demolish the building and construct a school in its place. According to the authors of the proposal, the ministry's delay contributed to the hotel losing its furnishings.
    "The Ministry of Culture issued its decision at a time when the minister is resigning, and there is therefore no one who would bear political and professional responsibility for the decision. ... Since the morning of June 14, work related to the demolition has been ongoing at the Hotel Prague site," the authors of the proposal state in their announcement. "We remain convinced that this will lead to the loss of a unique historical monument and a work of art with timeless architectural and artistic values that should be preserved," they state. They consider the ministry's reasoning for not initiating proceedings to be unsatisfactory.
    The Ministry of Culture requested an opinion from the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) and municipal conservationists. NPÚ joined the experts' proposal; however, the heritage preservation department of the municipality did not recommend declaring it a monument. The decision states that the building does not meet the criteria that the ministry applies to the heritage value of buildings from the second half of the 20th century, which include, for example, the preservation of mass and expression of the structure.
    At the time the proposal was submitted, the building was almost intact, and the authors indicated that there were numerous works of art inside, thus representing a unique comprehensive work of art. At the same time, they informed the ministry that the then-owner intended to vacate and demolish the hotel. "The purpose of initiating proceedings lies precisely in preventing the owner from manipulating the object until a decision is made, especially to carry out irreversible steps," the experts remind.
    The hotel was still intact when NPÚ processed its documentation. The Ministry of Culture's commission for cultural monuments also recommended the declaration at the end of May. However, since no administrative proceedings had been initiated, the former owner completely vacated the hotel at the beginning of June. This occurred more than 90 days after the proposal was submitted; according to administrative regulations, proceedings should be initiated within 30 days; if opinions of other bodies are needed, then within 60 days.
    "Only then were the workers from the municipal heritage preservation department able to examine it," the authors of the proposal state. Municipal heritage preservationists assert that the hotel is a quality modernist building. However, they claim that its dimensions deviate from the designated part of Dejvice and cannot be "unambiguously and unequivocally assessed as an architectural-urban contribution of its time."
    According to the authors of the proposal, the interior furnishings of the hotel are still held by the former owner. "We therefore believe that if Hotel Prague were declared a cultural monument, it would be very easy to return the preserved furnishings and works of art to the interiors," they say.