The heritage preservationists fined Prague and the tenant for the poor condition of Štvanice

Prague - According to the head of the heritage protection office, Jan Kněžínek, the responsibility for the poor state of the Štvanice winter stadium lies with the owner, the city of Prague, as well as with the former tenant, the Apex-Club association. The heritage protectors imposed a fine on both, Kněžínek said today to ČTK. The stadium, which became a cultural monument in 2000, is now being demolished.
     On Monday, the former tenant received a fine. According to a press release from the city hall, the Apex-Club association was fined 800,000 crowns for "failing to fulfill obligations imposed by the heritage protection law." The former tenant of the stadium is expected to receive the notification of the imposed sanction today. "The department of heritage care of the city hall decided on the fine for the tenant immediately after familiarizing itself with the conclusions of the updated expert opinion dated May 13," said Deputy Mayor Antonín Weinert.
     The department of heritage care already imposed a fine of 150,000 crowns on the city of Prague as the owner of the monument on April 5, due to violations of cultural monument ownership obligations. However, the decision is not final, as the office has appealed to the Ministry of Culture against it. The ministry has not yet commented.
      The Apex-Club association rented the stadium from the city of Prague in 1998. Since 2008, Prague has been trying to terminate the lease. The company refused the termination, and the dispute was therefore resolved by the court, which sided with the building owner this spring.
     The stadium was closed at the beginning of January due to its poor technical condition. At the end of May, its demolition was initiated by a decision from the construction office of Prague 7. The National Heritage Institute opposes this plan. Heritage protectors want to preserve at least part of the structure and some rare items. The city hall's department of heritage care ordered on Monday that the removed structures be measured and documented.
The winter stadium was built in 1935 as the first artificial ice rink in the capital city.