Helping the Havířov train station to become a monument may be its mosaic

Prague - The Association for the Preservation of Architecture is once again submitting a proposal for the declaration of the 1960s Havířov railway station as a cultural monument. The station belongs to Czech Railways, which plans to demolish it and build a new terminal in its place. The Ministry of Culture has previously assessed a similar proposal, but the station was not declared a monument. The proposers stated today to journalists that the next proposal will contain new facts. Among other things, they identified the author of the large mosaic in the station hall, which they consider to be very valuable.
    It was designed by painter and glass artist Vladimír Kopecký. "Czech Railways do not know what they are demolishing," said František Tesař today, who participated in the creation of the mosaic in the 1960s. It was allegedly created using a unique method of hand-split glass, which was specially manufactured in Czech glassworks for mosaics. This tradition has already died out; Tesař himself is said to have purchased all remaining materials when the ownership of the glassworks changed and has stocks of material with 4,000 color shades in his home. The current absence of the production of special mosaic glass makes the artwork, according to the association, an irreplaceable and non-renewable artifact.
    According to Tesař, the mosaic from Havířov cannot even be moved, as is done with similar works of art and as Czech Railways propose in this case, because it is part of the wall and is too large. It represents a dove as a symbol of peace. Kopecký, whose work is dominated by abstraction, stated that the motif was a concession to the times - abstract art was not what socialist artistic committees preferred.
    The association, which advocates for the preservation of the station as an important monument to 1960s architecture, provided information about the authorship of the mosaic a week ago. Czech Railways spokesperson Petr Šťáhlavský then said that the carrier would address this information. However, it is unlikely to affect the effort to demolish the building.
    The railway station in Havířov was designed by architect Josef Hrejsemnou and was built between 1964 and 1969. The building is set to make way for the construction of a new transport terminal. It is a joint project of the city and Czech Railways. According to information from the city hall, Czech Railways were to take care of the reconstruction of the station building, while the city was to address the modification of the area in front of the station. The terminal, costing around 200 million crowns, is intended to connect rail, bus, and personal transport, with space for bus stops and a large parking lot planned to follow the railway station.
    Czech Railways estimated a potential reconstruction of the station at 300 million crowns. According to the association, the cost is inflated and calculated based on the volume of the building. Lucie Chytilová from the association stated today that a study by architecture students found that the roof and the glazed front facade need to be repaired, which would reduce the building's energy consumption to one-fifth of the current state. According to her, the reconstruction would cost between 30 to 100 million crowns.