The station in Havířov has not been declared a monument, it is awaiting demolition

Prague - The Ministry of Culture has not declared the train station in Havířov in the Karviná region a cultural monument, as it does not consider it valuable enough. Czech Railways wants to demolish the building from the 1960s and build a new transportation terminal in its place. The agency informed ČTK today about the ministry's position through its spokesperson Helena Markusová. Czech Television highlighted the case.
The office dealt with the matter at the initiative of a group of experts from the civic association Důl architektury. According to them, there are several arguments for preserving the station. The Czech Chamber of Architects criticizes the ministry's decision. "Our position (which contradicts the ministry) is based on the opinions of leading experts," said the chamber's spokesperson Zuzana Hošková to ČTK. According to her, the chamber is now looking for ways "to reverse this unfortunate situation." The ministry's decision has not yet taken legal effect.
"The Ministry of Culture respects the partial values of the proposed complex, however, it believes that the described architectural and urban quality does not significantly exceed the production of its time," stated the ministry. It pointed out, among other things, that some inappropriate modifications had been made to the building, such as the installation of a refreshment stand and the replacement of windows and doors.
According to Lucie Chytilová from the Důl architektury association, the ministry's arguments are flawed. "The National Heritage Institute established a special commission that is supposed to comment on 20th-century monuments. This commission met and stated that even though it is a building from the 20th century, it has demonstrable values," she stated.
According to her, the modifications did not damage the building. "The building is in the most preserved condition it can be for a monument. Czech Railways has not cared for it for decades; they only preserved its original state. The refreshment stand and other interventions are all things that can be removed," Chytilová said.
The train station building is to give way to the construction of a new transportation terminal. It is a joint project of the city and Czech Railways. According to city hall information, the railways were supposed to take care of the reconstruction of the station building, while the city was to address the layout of the area in front of the station. The terminal, costing about 200 million crowns, is set to connect rail, bus, and personal transport, with a space for bus stops and a large parking lot planned adjacent to the train station.
Members of the architects' association have previously sought for the station to be designated a cultural monument. However, their initiative was not successful before either. The train station in Havířov, which was constructed between 1964 and 1969, is considered by them to be an important work by Josef Hrejsměna. According to some experts, it belongs to the world-renowned contribution of Czech architects to industrial heritage.
The ministry stated today that while it does not agree with the owners' intention to demolish the building, designating the matter as a cultural monument serves to preserve proven significant heritage values, not for the purpose of protecting objects from possible demolition. It turned out to be essential in the ministry's decision-making that the participants in the proceedings submitted a valid decision about the permit for the removal of the building and subsequently a final decision on the building permit, both issued by the Railway Authority in Olomouc. "According to the Administrative Procedure Code, the Ministry of Culture respects the rights of the participants in the proceedings acquired in good faith. By declaring it a cultural monument, it could thwart their investment," the ministry added.
"The ministry needs to decide whether the building is or is not a monument, and it should not take the arguments of the issued building permit into account at all," commented Chytilová.