Protests against the sale of Invalidovna are being voiced by academics, architects, and Prague

Prague - Alongside academics and private initiatives, Deputy Mayor Petra Kolínská (SZ/Trojkoalice) is also protesting against the planned auction of the historical site of the Prague Invalidovna. She has today requested the Director of the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM), Kateřina Arajmu, to cancel the auction of the building. The spokesperson for the office, Radek Ležatka, responded to a query from ČTK today, stating that there is no reason to cancel the auction. "During the visiting days, several potential interested parties have visited the Invalidovna," he said. In the event of an unsuccessful auction, the National Heritage Institute may seek the property.

The ÚZSVM announced in June that the long-unused building will be sold at public auction on August 8. The minimum price is 637.7 million crowns. This is expected to be the most significant sale of state property this year. This week, a group of academics and historians spoke out against the auction, stating that such an important historical site should remain in state hands. The National Heritage Institute has declared its willingness to present a concept for its use, including public accessibility, and participate in its management.

Similarly, the Initiative for Invalidovna is represented, gathering several developers, entrepreneurs, and architects who oppose the sale and propose alternative uses for the baroque complex - partly as a coworking community center, partly with a range of services offered. In addition to entrepreneur Nisan Jazairi, the initiative is supported by architects Vlado Milunič, Miroslav Masák, and Jakub Cigler, as well as designer Eva Eislerová.

"We certainly do not want to repeat the mistakes of the 1990s, when important lands and culturally valuable objects were sold to private individuals simply out of helplessness about how to handle the property. The public sector must find the confidence to utilize such significant objects, even in cooperation with private firms," Kolínská told ČTK today. She demands the cancellation of the auction and adds that Prague is ready to actively participate in the gradual reconstruction and revitalization of this valuable baroque building.

Heritage conservationists also express interest in becoming the owners of the Invalidovna. "If no one registers for the auction, the National Heritage Institute will negotiate with the Ministry of Culture," its director Naděžda Goryczková said today on Czech Television. Goryczková anticipates that the institute will subsequently express interest in the building.

Art and architecture theorists from universities in Prague, Olomouc, and Brno, from the Academy of Sciences and the UMPRUM (The Applied Arts School) sent a letter to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (ČSSD) on Wednesday, requesting him to cancel the auction. "We are convinced that the sale and subsequent commercial reconstruction of the Invalidovna would be an irreparable mistake that would seriously threaten the future of one of the most valuable monuments of its kind in Europe," they state.

The Karlín Invalidovna has been in state hands since its establishment. "Thanks to favorable historical circumstances, it has survived to this day with extraordinary authenticity, including many unique baroque details. Fortunately, this fact has not changed much even due to the floods that affected the site in 2002," experts note.

The Invalidovna was built between 1731 and 1737 according to the plans of the famous architect Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer, whose sacred and profane buildings are among the most significant baroque monuments in Europe.