Expert: The Šantovka Tower building will be visible even from the center of Olomouc

Source
Petr Běhal

Publisher
ČTK
22.01.2014 20:55

Olomouc - The silhouette of the planned high-rise building Šantovka Tower, which is expected to share the position of the second tallest building in Olomouc with the town hall due to its height of 75 meters, will be visible from parts of the historic center. This follows from a visualization created last summer for the municipality by Professor Vít Voženílek from the Faculty of Science at Palacký University. The material is available to ČTK. Despite this, the municipal heritage conservators approved the construction of Šantovka Tower at the end of last year. There are opponents of the project in Olomouc who claim that the high-rise building will harm the city’s panorama.
    The Šantovka Tower building in the visualization, which simulates views from Dolní náměstí towards the market, rises above the rooftops of the buildings lining the lower part of this square. Several top floors of Šantovka Tower can be seen from parts of Dolní náměstí between the Marian Column and the connection leading to the neighboring Horní náměstí.
    "Professor Voženílek's visualizations demonstrate the extent of the visual and significant impact of the intended Šantovka Tower building on the protected area of the urban monument reserve. They thus confirm the concerns of the opponents of the construction regarding the preservation of the integrity of the historical environment of Dolní náměstí," said František Chupík, director of the Olomouc branch of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), to ČTK today.
    Head of the heritage care department of the construction office of the municipality Vlasta Kauerová did not want to comment on the visualization today. The decision of the municipal heritage conservators who approved the Šantovka Tower project is currently being reviewed by the regional office at the request of NPÚ. The stance of the municipal heritage conservators differs from the recommendations of NPÚ and their decision is important for the investor of Šantovka, as it allows them to proceed with the planning of the project.
    Two more visualizations were created last year. One of them was prepared by the company Office Park Šantovka. Behind the company is influential businessman Richard Morávek, who was involved in the preparation of the Šantovka Tower project. The second material was presented by architects who oppose the high-rise building. Both visualizations played an important role in the media battle for public support. According to Voženílek, however, neither of them meets the criteria of credibility. "We stand by the fact that our visualization corresponds to reality and we will not comment on it anymore until the administrative proceedings are completed," said Juraj Aláč, spokesperson for the Šantovka Tower project, to ČTK.
    Šantovka Tower, next to the new shopping center Galerie Šantovka, is set to have 22 floors. If the investor obtains the permit, construction will begin this year. Morávek claims that the city’s panorama will not be disrupted. "We are continuing to prepare the project; there is unnecessary hysteria around it. Thanks to Galerie Šantovka, it is becoming clear that our visualization corresponds to reality. An informal assessment from the municipality confirmed our position. We did not present any manipulative images and we believe that this building belongs in Olomouc," he told ČTK earlier.
    Experts from the Institute of Art History have spoken against the construction of Šantovka Tower, and the scientific council of the Faculty of Philosophy at UP also opposes the project. Last year, hundreds of people demonstrated in the streets of Olomouc against the high-rise building in the protected zone of the monument reserve.

Expert: The Šantovka Tower building will be visible even from the center of Olomouc

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