Proposal for the declaration of three buildings as immovable cultural monuments

We selected the buildings after a thorough research of Prague's post-war architecture, especially the constructions of so-called brutalism, which we are working on, among other things, thanks to the preparation of the specialized publication "Brutalist Prague," and which we also address as part of our educational activities – teaching the seminar "Post-war Architecture."

We consider all selected objects to be excellent representatives of so-called brutalist architecture in our territory. The expression and concept of the buildings stem from international characteristics of this style, but also incorporate local specifics – primarily an emphasis on the surrounding context, but also a certain kindness and human cultivation in working with materials, details, and scale. The buildings represent significant realizations of their time and are the works of our best architects, engineers, and artists. Their significance and artistic nobility are comparable to key realizations not only in the former Eastern Bloc but also on a broader international scale. As the proposed buildings are still largely authentically, originally, and integrally preserved, we consider their heritage protection to be appropriate and obvious.

At the same time, we want to draw attention to the unsustainable and, in many respects, ineffective practice regarding the management of declarations of buildings as immovable cultural monuments. Regarding potential new monuments in the territory of Prague, the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic has not initiated nearly any new proceedings for several years, despite a number of proposals being submitted (the only exception is objects that are at immediate risk of demolition). This irresponsible and inadequate approach jeopardizes, among other things, a number of iconic buildings from the second half of the 20th century, which have not yet been granted any form of institutional protection, thus risking the loss of their comprehensive architectural quality. A case in point of lost value is the Prague Parkhotel: we submitted a proposal for its declaration as a cultural monument in April 2017, the proceedings have not yet been initiated, and in the meantime, the hotel's interior has undergone a destructive reconstruction. Similarly, no proceedings have yet been initiated (or have not reached a conclusion) concerning these objects: Strojimport (submitted in 2014 and 2015), Intercontinental Hotel (submitted in 2015), Centrotex (submitted in 2016), Prague Planetarium (submitted in 1996), crematorium in Motol (submitted in 2006), student dormitories in Podolí (submitted in 2011), Větrník student dormitories (submitted in 2016), and others.

We believe that opening cases only when buildings are at risk of demolition is unfortunate and incorrect. Heritage protection of buildings should be discussed when their quality is recognized, not only when there is a project for their reconstruction or demolition. Even now, the ministry can rely on several professional books, analyses, and research, based on which at least an initiatory framework for iconic buildings from the post-war era can be declared, and thus start addressing a fundamental and current challenge that has been met by most developed countries (not only) in the Western world for several years.

Therefore, we urge the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic to adopt a more systematic and focused solution that corresponds to the urgency of protecting post-war and generally modern architecture. We consider two things to be key: the publication and ongoing updating of the list of buildings proposed for cultural monument status and, especially, the streamlining of the proceedings to avoid unnecessary delays.

Ing. arch. Mgr. Klára Brůhová, Ph.D., Institute of Theory and History of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, CTU in Prague
Doc. Ing. arch. Petr Vorlík, Ph.D., Institute of Theory and History of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture, CTU in Prague