During the renovation of the Hotel Prague in Kyselka, both the heritage conservationists and the company made mistakes

Karlovy Vary - According to the heritage inspection, errors were made by both the heritage protectors and the construction contractor during last year's roof repair of the former Hotel Praha in Kyselka in Karlovy Vary. The roof structure of the heritage-protected building partially collapsed last October, shortly after the repairs began. Today, the building, owned by Karlovy Vary Mineral Waters a.s., is already covered, but according to the heritage inspection, damages occurred. CTK was informed about this today by Martin Kadrman, vice president of the Association of Associations for the Protection and Development of Cultural Heritage in the Czech Republic (ASORKD), which prompted the ministerial inspection to investigate.
    Hotel Praha is part of a complex of spa buildings that were constructed in Kyselka in the second half of the 19th century. Heinrich Mattoni, who rented the export rights of the local Ottov spring, built spa houses, hotels, a promenade, and other buildings in Kyselka. Included in the complex was Hotel Praha, originally named Crown Prince Rudolf.
    The heritage inspection found deficiencies in the rescue of the roof structure on both the side of the state heritage administration and the company responsible for dismantling the roof and salvaging as many elements as possible for reuse. According to the inspection, the roof structure did not have to collapse at all, Kadrman stated.
    "Based on the knowledge of its staff from practice in the field, the heritage inspection does not anticipate that a significant increase in the damage of individual elements of the roof structure could occur within less than three months due to the development of biotic wood infestation," the inspection states in its opinion.
    According to the inspection, for example, the heritage protectors left it entirely up to the participant in the proceedings to consider what method of dismantling the structure is "careful" and which parts "will not be irreversibly damaged."
    "We are shocked by the careless approach of the heritage protectors from Loket and Karlovy Vary in the case of the ordered roofing of Hotel Praha. We fear that the destruction of heritage values is imminent for the hotel Stallburg under repair and for the Löschner Pavilion," ASORKD stated. They also demand personnel changes at the Loket office of the National Heritage Institute.
    Despite this, the inspection noted that the fact that the building of the former Hotel Praha is now covered "is a result of the actions of the state heritage care and that the interest of the public, gained through the media coverage of this issue by the mentioned civic association, also contributed to this result. As recently as mid-2012, there were no indications that the owner would undertake repairs to the subject building."