The Minister of Culture Besser decided on the demolition of a house in the center of Prague

Prague - Minister of Culture Jiří Besser has decided to demolish the building at the corner of Opletalova Street and Wenceslas Square in Prague. The building is part of one of the most significant spaces in the Prague Heritage Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The minister's decision is final and cannot be appealed. CTK was informed about this today by the ministry spokesperson Stanislav Brunclík.
     The Old Prague Club has long opposed the demolition and subsequent new construction in the heritage reserve. The Prague branch of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) also opposed it some time ago.
     "This decision means disappointment for us, because it indicates that in the final instance, experts do not decide on heritage matters, as the appeal commission is composed solely of lawyers. This is a bad precedent that could have far-reaching consequences," said Kateřina Bečková from the Old Prague Club to CTK.
     Architect and architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš reminded that this is a building from the late 19th century, which was later rebuilt several times, from which practically nothing of its original form remains, and which is not a cultural monument. "I saw the project a year ago, and given certain conditions, it does not bother me at all," said Lukeš. He added that building in a city heritage reserve is not unusual or illegitimate.
     Architect Martin Vokatý did not want to comment on this specific case due to a lack of information, but he generally believes that the current state should not be preserved at all costs. "That's development; that building certainly stands on the site of something that was there before it," he noted.
     On the contrary, Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and representative of Prague 1 Kateřina Klasnová (VV), who heads the urban development commission for Prague 1, criticized Minister Besser's step. "The decision to demolish the building, which was opposed by the heritage care guarantor, the Prague branch of the National Heritage Institute, I consider to be a very dangerous decision for the future," Klasnová stated. According to her, this means another breakthrough in the protection of monuments and gives investors completely free rein.
     According to his statement, the minister decided to respect the recommendations of the departmental appeal commission, which proposed allowing the demolition of the corner building, the courtyard part of the Jalta hotel, and the remnants of the former Aktien printing house. The street facades of the Jalta hotel and the former Aktien printing house will be preserved.
Thus, the ministry will not prevent new construction on Wenceslas Square. According to the project published in the database of projects for environmental impact assessment, the planned new building in an L-shape is to have three underground and nine above-ground floors.
    "The minister canceled the previous decision of the Ministry of Culture, which returned the decision on the demolition to the city hall. So now the original decision of the city hall has come into effect. The owners can start demolishing immediately," said Jan Kněžínek, who is in charge of the Department of Culture and Heritage Care of the Prague city hall, to CTK.
     The investor, the company Václavské náměstí 19 a.s., would like to start demolition this November, and according to the document, the demolition should take about 7.5 months. The construction of the new building is expected to begin in spring 2012 and take approximately two years. The new building is to have two underground levels reserved for parking, four floors for shops, and the rest for offices. There will be no apartments in the building, as the investor justifies this by the fact that metro tunnels intersect the area. According to the instructions from the city hall, the investor must comply with several conditions compared to the original plans, including reducing the new building by one floor.
     "I fully realize, of course, what an exposed, valuable, and sensitive location this is. On the other hand, however, stands a similarly sensitive issue of state intervention in the rights of the participants in the proceedings acquired in good faith," said Besser.
     The case of new construction on Wenceslas Square in Prague has been ongoing since autumn 2009 when the investor requested the city hall to issue a binding statement on the demolition of the buildings and the new construction in their place. In June last year, the city hall issued its consent to the investor's plans conditioned by the fulfillment of ten comments. Half a year later, the Ministry of Culture, in a shortened review procedure, annulled the city hall's statement without the possibility of comments from the participants in the proceedings. This shortened procedure was recommended for annulment by the appeal commission to the minister.
     "I do not intend to expose this state to further possible risks of lawsuits for damages, especially in cases where I believe that the shortened review procedure by the Ministry of Culture was unnecessary and not a decision made in an urgent time frame," explained Besser's decision. He added that if the decision from the shortened procedure remained in effect, it would most likely lead to a court dispute over the protection of investments.
     Demolitions are not uncommon on Wenceslas Square. Three years ago, builders demolished the Diamant department store in its lower part without major public protests, and a new building is rising in its place.