Prague 5 has requested the magistrate to appeal against the demolition of the villa

Prague – Prague 5 has requested the city council to file an appeal against the decision to demolish the villa from the early 20th century on Nad Výšinkou Street. The councilors of the municipal district approved today, at an extraordinary meeting, that the town hall would also apply to the Ministry of Culture for heritage protection and at the same time strive to expand the scope of heritage protection to other residential villa neighborhoods in Prague 5. Representatives from the town hall leadership informed the journalists after the council meeting.

The villa, built by builder Viktor Beneš, is owned by Jaroslav Haščák, co-owner of the investment group Penta, and his wife Valéria. The demolition order was issued by the Prague 5 building authority on Friday, July 9, and an appeal can be filed within 15 days of receiving the decision. However, unlike the capital city, the municipal district is not a so-called participant in the proceedings and cannot appeal.

Deputy Mayor of Prague 5 Lukáš Herold (ODS) stated that the building authority had no choice but to permit the demolition because the owners provided all the required opinions and the building is not under heritage protection. Nevertheless, the local government disagrees with the demolition. "We are convinced that the villa has historical value, both because of its interiors and because it complements the character of the location," he said.

Prague Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) already stated on Tuesday that the city leadership will address the case and that the possibility of filing an appeal will be on the agenda of the extraordinary city council meeting next Tuesday. The appeal will also be supported by Prague Sobě, whose recently established local organization is active in Prague 5. "With local associations, we are preparing a proposal for the villa to be declared a cultural monument and also a petition, which people are asking for. We have long followed the actions of the building authority in Prague 5 with discontent alongside neighbors," said Pavel Světlík, a city council representative from Prague Sobě and the founder of the movement in Prague 5.

Another step that Prague 5 plans is to apply for heritage protection. "We believe that it could be processed in about 14 days," said Herold. After the town hall submits the request to the Ministry of Culture, according to the deputy mayor, it will not be possible to carry out demolition until a decision on protection is made. If the villa were granted monument status, demolition would essentially be excluded, as it is only permitted for protected buildings in very poor condition, which is evidently not the case here.

According to Zuzana Hamanová (for STAN), chairwoman of the committee for urban development of the municipal district, the aim is to prevent similar situations in the future. This will involve a proposal to expand the areas under heritage protection in Prague 5, which often ends illogically, for example, in the middle of villa developments. According to Hamanová, the municipal district will prepare a proposal for a comprehensive expansion, which should concern, for example, the Na Hřebenkách neighborhood, where the disputed villa is located, as well as Malvazinky, Dívčí Hrady, and possibly Cibulek or Žvahov.

The goal, according to Hamanová, is to prevent similar efforts for demolition and replacement of houses with larger developments, or the building on gardens. The committee for urban development addresses similar projects at each meeting, and broad protection would resolve this systematically, she added. "Demolition in a heritage zone is always assessed by heritage conservationists, and a project must always be submitted in advance to be evaluated," she stated. She added that the process of approving broad heritage protection is relatively complex and takes some time.