In Vinohrady, a heritage-protected villa is being demolished without permission

Prague - Today, the demolition of the monument-protected villa on Na Šafránce Street began in Prague's Vinohrady. According to the town hall of Prague 10, the demolition is not permitted, and Mayor Renata Chmelová has called on the construction manager to suspend the work and wait for a review by the building authority. This was stated by the spokesperson for Prague 10, Vítek Novák. The four-story rondocubist villa has not been inhabited recently. An internet advertisement indicates that the house was for sale in the past, according to the server Deník N for 49 million crowns.

The joint zoning decision and building permit was issued last February, and the builder is AWM Bohemia CZ, the spokesperson said. "Based on the request of the heritage protection department of the capital city of Prague, the demolition of the building was not part of the construction proposal, but rather gradual modifications of the existing apartment building," he noted. The municipality's heritage protection department oversees the building, and a report regarding the demolition was submitted to them electronically this afternoon, added the spokesperson.

Mayor Chmelová contacted the construction manager by phone in the evening. "I urged the construction manager to suspend the demolition work and wait for a review by the building authority," she stated. She also received a promise of a personal explanation of the situation, so she will visit the site on Saturday morning along with Deputy Mayor Martin Valovič. "I know I cannot intervene in the course of the review by the building authority, but I want to contribute to finding a solution to save this building," added the mayor.

Valovič called on the building authority to take the toughest possible action against the builder. "Laws should apply equally to everyone. I also want heritage protectors to clearly express their stance on the matter," he stated. For the demolition, the owner would need to obtain consent from the heritage protection department of the municipality according to the heritage protection law, reported Deník N. A fine of up to two million crowns is threatened for demolishing the villa without permission.

The house, built in 1921 in the Svépomoc colony by architect František Albert Libra, is located in the Prague heritage zone of Vinohrady, Žižkov, and Vršovice. According to the land registry, it belongs to AWM Bohemia CZ, which is based in Prague's Kbely. Its business activities include construction and demolition, as well as handling hazardous waste. According to Deník N, the reconstruction is being handled by the company Hipoz. A man overseeing the demolition work told the newspaper that the villa had structural damage and the interior had been burned.