Senate: The ministry should reassess interventions in monuments in Prague

Prague - The Ministry of Culture and the heritage preservation department of the Prague city hall should, according to the Senate, reconsider their role in decision-making about interventions in the Prague heritage reserve in accordance with the relevant legislation. The Senate requested both offices today in connection with the threatened demolition of a building at the corner of Wenceslas Square and Opletalova Street, which was permitted by both the ministry and the heritage department. According to the Senate's recommendation, both institutions should "respect the public interest over the utilitarian interests of private business entities".
    The city hall rejects any wrongdoing. "We fundamentally respect the law and the public interest," said Jan Kněžínek, head of the city hall's heritage department, to ČTK.
    Architectural historian and member of the Club for Old Prague, Rostislav Švácha, claims that the building set to be demolished is the work of significant architects and furthermore has elements of neoclassicism combined with cubism, making it unique. "The building on Wenceslas Square is the work of significant architects, and therein lies its value," said Švácha. The team of creators was led by architect Bohumil Kozák.
    Milan Sýkora, head of the municipal heritage support department, emphasized that the office followed all necessary procedures when assessing the building and the new project. According to Sýkora, the building is not protected as a heritage site. He pointed out that there are many buildings of this type in Prague that are heritage-significant yet not officially recognized as monuments. "The heritage department at the city hall acted in the most responsible manner," stated Sýkora.
    Following the case of the demolition, the Senate decided that the Ministry of Culture did not respect the purpose of the law, which is to care for cultural monuments and their preservation. It failed to comply with the provisions of the Heritage Care Act, which states that "the state protects cultural monuments as an integral part of the cultural heritage of the people, a testimony to its history, a significant component of the environment, and an irreplaceable wealth of the nation", said the chairman of the Senate's cultural committee, Jaromír Jermář (ČSSD).
    According to the Senate's decision, the heritage department of the Prague city hall did not comply with the government regulation concerning the Prague heritage reserve. "It does not adhere to the condition that the preparation, assessment, and approval of all urban planning documents, competition assignments, as well as preparatory and project documentation for constructions within the reserve must be conducted with regard to the cultural value of the environment," states the resolution.
    The Senate addressed the case based on a petition signed by 14,500 people. Numerous historians and architects also protested against the demolition, arguing that the building is architecturally and urbanistically valuable. They therefore requested the Ministry of Culture to reopen the procedure. However, the outgoing Minister of Culture Jiří Besser (STAN) refused to reconsider the annulment of his office's verdict, which had revoked the Prague city hall's agreement to the demolition of the building. This allowed for the demolition of the building within the heritage reserve.
    Whether the building will indeed be demolished will be decided by the building authority of Prague 1. There will be an option to appeal the decision to the city hall. The mayor of the first city district, Oldřich Lomecký (TOP 09), told ČTK today that a demolition request has not yet been submitted. He emphasized that the leadership of the city district cannot decide on this matter, as the building authority is an organ of state power, not self-government.
    The corner building next to the Jalta hotel, the courtyard part of the hotel, and the remains of the former Joint Stock Printing House, whose facade will be preserved, should be demolished. The council of the first city district has already approved the proposed size and height of the potential eight-story new building as well as its commercial and administrative use. The owner's goal is to build a large multifunctional complex that will connect with the court grounds.
    "The investor plans to demolish the rear operational part of the hotel, which is completely against the spirit of the heritage law, as the hotel as a whole is protected as a cultural monument and no procedure for removing the heritage protection from the entire building or its part has taken place," stated Kateřina Bečková, chairwoman of the Club for Old Prague.