Pelikan wants to transform the Karlín barracks into a judicial palace

Prague - A judicial palace could potentially be established in the former barracks in Prague's Karlín, which the Ministry of Defence unsuccessfully tried to sell. This was announced by Minister of Justice Robert Pelikán (ANO). The Ministry of Defence stated that the justice department has already requested the transfer of the management rights for the building. The barracks, which were damaged by flooding in 2002, were originally sought by entrepreneur Ivana Tykačová.
Pelikán previously announced his intention to sell the historic judicial buildings in the city center, intending to relocate institutions to a new central building on the outskirts of Prague. He has now partially reassessed the original plan and believes that the courts could find a home in Karlín.
"We have indeed requested the transfer of the property, and it is currently undergoing approval. In the coming years, we would like to start creating a judicial palace there. The advantage of the location is that it has excellent transport accessibility for citizens and is not located in some greenfield site, as we originally planned. However, it is a project for future years; our current priority remains the construction of the judicial palace in Ústí nad Labem,” said Pelikán.
The minister estimates that the Ústí site should be completed in four years. "Until then, we will be doing preparatory work regarding Karlín. We want to announce an architectural competition for the design of the Karlín judicial complex,” he described.
"We will evaluate which courts will be located in the complex so that it is as economically beneficial as possible. We will sell the existing buildings, from which we expect the project will be largely self-financing,” added ministry spokesperson Tereza Schejbalová.
"The Ministry of Justice, as an organizational unit of the state, has requested the transfer of management rights for the barracks of Jan Žižka in Prague - Karlín. We have submitted all the documentation necessary for the transfer to the Ministry of Justice, where it is currently being reviewed,” said Vladimír Lutovský from the Ministry of Defence's Press Department to ČTK. He had previously stated that maintenance costs for the complex are low, amounting to 300,000 crowns per year, because the Ministry of Defence rents part of the building.
The original tender for the purchase of the barracks was won by the firm Griva Art, owned by entrepreneur Tykačová, with a bid of nearly 590 million crowns. The state required at least 581 million. However, Minister of Defence Martin Stropnický (ANO) halted the tender due to suspicions of financial connections between the winning firm and another participant in the selection process. Subsequently, the ministry issued a statement that the information about the financial connection between the firms is not true.
In the subsequent second round, no one expressed interest in the former barracks. This time the ministry asked for at least 620.2 million crowns. Tykačová did not participate in the tender, stating that the new price made no economic sense. The Ministry of Defence argued that the price was set based on expert assessments.
The historical object of the Karlín barracks dates back to the 19th century and was used for military purposes during both Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. In the second half of the 20th century, various units and facilities of the Prague military garrison, such as the garrison band, military police, headquarters, or infirmary, were stationed in the complex.
The dominant feature of the barracks is a five-story building with basement areas, which is listed as a cultural monument. The inner courtyard has an area of approximately one hectare and can be used for parking vehicles. Another building houses a concert hall, a rehabilitation center with a swimming pool, and garage spaces. The last building is designated as a car wash.