MK has unlawfully declared Melichar's villa in Brandýs nad Labem a monument

Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav - The Ministry of Culture has issued a non-final decision that the Melichar Villa complex in Brandýs nad Labem is a cultural monument. The owner of the property, which is the Central Bohemian Region, has submitted an appeal against the decision. There is an emergency medical service dispatch station located within the premises. The appeal will now be reviewed by the minister's appeal committee, said Ivana Awwadová, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, today to ČTK. The Central Bohemian Region does not wish to comment on the ministry's decision or the reasons for the appeal, stated its spokesperson Michal Rapco in response to a query from ČTK.

Mayor of Brandýs Petr Soukup (Our Twin City) told ČTK that the villa has unquestionable historical value, but the declaration of the entire complex as a monument, including the land surrounding the villa, could close the door to its further development.

"The Ministry of Culture received a proposal to declare the Melichar Villa complex No. 370 in the Cadastre of Brandýs nad Labem as a cultural monument from the Town Hall of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav. This proposal was further expanded by the National Heritage Institute, the regional specialized workplace of Central Bohemia in Prague. After gathering and evaluating the documents in the administrative proceedings, the Ministry of Culture decided to declare the Melichar Villa complex as a cultural monument. The decision is not final, as a participant in the proceedings has filed an appeal. It will be forwarded to the minister's appeal committee, which will subsequently decide," Awwadová stated.

The proposal for the declaration was submitted through the relevant heritage protection authority by the town hall last spring. Markéta Chumlenová, an official in the conservation department of the Town Hall of Brandýs nad Labem-Stará Boleslav, previously stated in response to a query from ČTK that the villa is a valuable structure preserved in both the exterior and interior. The proposal for the cultural monument declaration also included the nearest park and the land on which the building from the 1970s stands.

According to the spokesperson for Brandýs, Kateřina Stránská, the city does not yet have the ministry's decision. "Brandýs businessman František Melichar is one of the most important figures in our city. The villa, which he had built on the grounds of his factory, has unquestionable historical value and certainly deserves some level of protection. I would not deny the adjacent lands the possibility of future development. In the past, they have been used for educational purposes, and I see suitable potential here, for example. If the status of a cultural monument were indeed to apply to the entire complex, we could close off that possibility," Soukup stated in response to a query from ČTK. He pointed out that the proposal was submitted by former mayor Robert Pecha (You are the City), who was removed from the position of mayor by the council a year ago. Pecha is now a regional councilor for investments and property.

In the past, the Central Bohemian Region considered relocating the emergency service dispatch station to a different area due to unsuitable conditions. Later, it agreed with the city to search for another location. The region also sought a use for the villa. The object was leased to a school until the end of 2022 and currently has no use.

The neo-Renaissance villa with functionalist elements was built in 1902 by Brandýs entrepreneur and owner of an agricultural machinery factory František Melichar. It was designed by Prague architect Václav Roštlapil, who was also behind the design of the Straka Academy, for example.