The ministry has documents for the inclusion of the wastewater treatment plant on the UNESCO list

Prague - The Ministry of Culture now has all the necessary documents to begin preparing an application for the inclusion of the historical sewage treatment plant in Prague's Bubenč on the UNESCO cultural heritage list. Last week, the intention was approved by the council of the capital city as the owner of the building. However, this will be a process that will take several years, spokesperson Iva Awwadová said today in response to a query from ČTK. A non-profit organization, which rents the site from Prague and organizes cultural events and public tours, has been striving for the inclusion for years.

The Ministry will add the site to the so-called national indicative list, which is the first step in sending an application for inclusion on the UNESCO list. Then, it will be necessary to agree on a schedule for preparing the nomination documentation. The spokesperson noted that due to other upcoming nominations and other candidates on the list, it is clear that this will be a matter of several years.

According to the ministry, detailed evaluation of the site and justification of why it is exceptional and should become part of the world cultural heritage are necessary for sending the application. "An important part of the documentation is an international comparative study, which demonstrates the uniqueness of this site in the context of similar heritage sites," Awwadová stated. The nomination documentation also includes a plan for the future development of the site. "It is also very important to identify factors that threaten or may threaten the site, or its value for which it should be listed, and the measures to address them," she added.

The current operator, the charitable organization Továrna, has been taking care of the site since 2011. It also maintains the steam machines located in the historical building. It raises funds for operations and investments by renting interesting spaces to companies or filmmakers. For instance, the American film Mission Impossible IV was filmed here.

Šárka Jiroušková from the ČTK association said that they have been striving for UNESCO listing for more than four years and that the ministry has twice rejected the inclusion on the indicative list. According to her, the opinion changed only based on a letter from the International Committee for the Conservation of Industrial Heritage (TICCIH).

Representatives of the city hall previously stated that there are plans for the renovation of the site with the aim of creating a cultural and social center. The city has a study for this purpose, but according to Jiroušková, the proposal does not respect the historical value of the building, which is unique in its preservation among similar world technical heritage sites.

The building was constructed in 1906 and served as the main sewage treatment plant for the capital city for more than 60 years. The project for the treatment plant was developed by Sir William Heerlein Lindley. Currently, visitors can view the old steam machines and the underground areas where wastewater was once treated. The treatment plant also hosts events for the public, offering tours of the old tanks on rafts or the possibility to climb the chimney into the building. The building was declared a cultural monument in 1991 and a national cultural monument in 2010.