Schillerová: The reconstruction of Thermal is legally in order

Prague – According to Finance Minister Alena Schillerová (for ANO), the process of reconstructing the Karlovy Vary hotel Thermal is legally correct. The minister wants to personally address the objections of the descendants of the original architects Věra and Vladimír Machonin. She promised this today in Parliament in response to a question from ODS Vice-Chairman Martin Kupka.

"We are not violating any legal norms in this area," Schillerová stated. "I will meet with the representatives of the Machonin family. I will discuss with them what specifically bothers them. We will talk about the legal dimension, but we will also discuss some practical aspects. We cannot spend another ten years discussing it," she added.

The minister indicated that great respect is being shown in the reconstruction towards the legacy of the Machonins, according to whose design the brutalist-style building was erected in the 1970s. "But we cannot let the hotel fall apart," she added. The design work for the modernization is being covered by the company Energy Benefit Centre as the winner of the tender. The Machonin family's Atelier Alfa was not selected because it was the most expensive, the minister noted.

The grandchildren of the Machonin architects, Maria and Jan Kordovští, stated last week that the hotel management still has not engaged in discussions with them regarding the reconstruction and that the hotel part still does not have an architect. Maria Kordovská told ČTK that according to copyright law, all changes must be consulted with the representatives of the original architects. Schillerová labeled this as an unnecessary media dispute. According to her, the descendants of the Machonins did not take advantage of the hotel management's offer for a meeting in January.

Hotel director Vladimír Novák commented that there is no longer space to discuss changes to the rooms because they are already being repaired. According to him, the original washbasins, corridor lights, and original armchairs will be preserved during the repairs. A solution for the public spaces has not yet been proposed, Novák added.

The first phase of the hotel reconstruction and modernization, for which a total of 580 million crowns is allocated, is to be completed by March 15. By then, the first 60 rooms are to be repaired. By the July start of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, the repair of 126 rooms should be completed, while another 147 rooms will undergo only partial adjustments. "We strive to make the adjustments with maximum sensitivity and try to preserve its original appearance as much as possible," Novák said. However, according to Pirate MP Lukáš Černohorský, the rooms do not meet the standards of a four-star hotel.

Currently, the reconstruction concerns the interior of the hotel. In the next phase, the pool will be renovated from October this year until June next year. The estimated costs for the pool reconstruction, including the adjoining space, amount to 120 to 130 million crowns. Thermal is also expecting a complete window replacement next year.

Architect Věra Machoninová, along with her husband Vladimír, who passed away in January 1990, is among the representatives of brutalism in Czech architecture. Their most famous work, alongside Thermal, was the design of the Kotva department store in Prague.