The Heritage Association wants to take over the buildings in the former Kyselka Spa

photo: Lukáš Podhorský

Prague/Karlovy Vary - The Association of Organizations for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage in the Czech Republic has requested that the listed monuments in the former Kyselka spa be transferred to it free of charge. The Association is thus utilizing earlier statements from representatives of the current owners, which are Karlovarské minerální vody (KMV) and the C.T.S. Duo company. In the past, they called for the takeover of some buildings that neither company plans to preserve. This was stated today at a press conference in Prague by the president of the association, Pavel Ries.
      The association has therefore sent official letters today to representatives of KMV and C.T.S. Duo, urging them to transfer the listed monuments to the association without compensation. In the case of KMV, this concerns the former Hotel Prague (formerly Crown Prince Rudolf) and the former cable car station. For C.T.S. Duo, there are other unspecified properties involved.
      KMV welcomes any other entity that will not just present words but also specific, realistic, and financially secured renovation projects for the buildings, announced today to ČTK KMV spokesperson Bibiana Beňová. She noted that the company has repeatedly stated that it is preparing a project for the further use of the listed monuments it owns.
      "Currently, these proposals are in the stage of discussion with the heritage care authorities and state administration. It would be incorrect to bring these details closer in advance. A public presentation is likely to occur at the end of the summer. We are ready to negotiate with the association, to meet regarding their proposals, and to prioritize the one that would be best for the buildings themselves," Beňová added.
      The representative of C.T.S. Duo, Petr Dostál, told ČTK today that he welcomes the first positive and constructive step of the association towards the company he represents. He pointed out that C.T.S. Duo has been open to any collaboration, and therefore does not understand why the association has taken a confrontational stance against the owner of part of the properties in Kyselka. "We will certainly meet with the representatives of the association and listen to their proposals. We want to solve the problem and are still doing something about it. Currently, we are dealing with a number of administrative issues surrounding Kyselka," Dostál added.
      Dostál previously stated that the main problem that blocked the restoration of the buildings in Kyselka is a lack of funds and also the absence of a strong investor who would enter the project. According to Dostál, C.T.S. Duo has invested around 25 million crowns in Kyselka since 2006, including the purchase price (16.5 million CZK). Negotiations about the participation of some investors, according to Dostál, were thwarted by the crisis and allegedly by aggressive campaigns for the rescue of Kyselka led by some entities.
      The association mainly wants to preserve the historically valuable buildings of the spa as a whole, while the property owners currently demand the preservation of only three of the most valuable listed buildings, intending to demolish the others, Ries stated. According to the association's vice president, Martin Kadrman, it is currently necessary to secure the buildings before the winter, mainly by temporarily covering them and gradually drying them out.
      According to Ries, the association plans to use financial resources from the emergency fund of the Ministry of Culture for the securing work. The documentation for the roofing of the buildings has reportedly been promised by heritage officials from Loket. The association also wants to announce a public collection, which will be feasible if the properties are owned by a civic association and not by private entities.
      "We believe that the city of Karlovy Vary and the Karlovy Vary Region will stand by us," Ries said. According to him, both mentioned institutions are not considering taking over the buildings themselves, which is why the association has taken this step. If the current owners heed the association's request, the historic buildings in Kyselka would become the first listed buildings in its ownership, Ries added.
      The governor of the Karlovy Vary Region, Josef Novotný (Social Democrats), told ČTK today that the association's initiative is completely new to him and that the head of the association, Ries, informed him about it shortly after today's press conference. Novotný noted that he welcomes any initiative that could contribute to the rescue of culturally significant objects in Kyselka. "We will certainly discuss this topic with the representatives of the association, which we have done in the past," the governor remarked.
      According to him, it is possible for the region to assist the association, for example, with administrative matters concerning Kyselka. However, he ruled out that the region could support the rescue of Kyselka financially in the future. He stated that the properties in the former spa do not belong to the region and that it currently has entirely different priorities regarding monuments. "The main and most important priority is the repair of the Imperial Baths in Karlovy Vary. But we will also try to support Kyselka in some non-financial way," he added.
      The mayor of Kyselka, Petra Hoffmannová (independent), is currently cautious with any statements. She pointed out that there have been various activities aimed at saving the former spa in Kyselka, but nothing has been realized so far. "We basically don't care who will own the properties, as long as someone finally starts to take care of them and puts them in order. We can basically only morally support the association’s initiative, as the former spa properties are neither our land nor the buildings on them," the mayor added.
      At the end of May, the Karlovy Vary city hall initiated administrative proceedings with one of the owners of the historic buildings, the Karlovarské minerální vody company, due to a possible offense in the area of heritage care. KMV is in contact with the heritage care department of the Karlovy Vary city hall, previously stated the company's media representative Bibiana Beňová. In March of this year, the state heritage care authority urged KMV to secure the properties that belong to them. The execution of the work was officially recorded. Since then, the company has had no indications that the securing of the properties was inadequate, Beňová added.
      The association has previously also called for the expropriation of endangered historic properties in Kyselka. "I informed Minister (of Culture Jiří) Besser about our proposal. However, he feared that the transfer of the properties in their current state to the state would not be acceptable," Kadrman stated. The association also points out that two years ago, the then ombudsman, Otakar Motejl, stated that the state had failed at all levels regarding Kyselka spa.
      The spa was first acquired after 1990 by entrepreneur Karel Franta from Prague. He then transferred it to Friederich Becker from Germany. Becker was later arrested by the police for fraud. Before that, however, he sold the spa to Udo Markard from Bad Kissingen, who was convicted in Germany for serious crimes.
      After Markard, the dilapidated Kyselka was bought by Dagestani Shamil Chalitujev, who promised hundreds of millions in investments. However, the man went bankrupt before the project could be realized.
      The sale of the former children's spa via auction then took place three times. The first time there were no bidders, the second time it was auctioned off for 30 million crowns by the company Rukua, but it did not pay within the specified time. In the third sale in January 2006, C.T.S. Duo succeeded with 16.5 million crowns.

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