The court must again address the reconstruction of the house for Havel's library

Brno - The Municipal Court in Prague must reconsider the reconstruction of the historic building on Loretánské Square in Hradčany, which is to house the Václav Havel Library. The Supreme Administrative Court (NSS) granted the appeals of entrepreneur Zdeněk Bakala and the Prague City Hall. ČTK learned this from the official notice board; the court has not yet published the reasoning, which it has a month to do.

Last August, the Municipal Court annulled the City Hall’s decision in the proceedings regarding the placement of the building, the change in the use of the building, the change in its impact on land use, and the location of water connections, sewage, and low-voltage cable routing. It did so based on a lawsuit by resident Bohumil Vejtasa, claiming that authorities inadequately addressed his objections. The case will now return to the municipal court for a new verdict.

Bakala is the owner of the building. He purchased it with the declared intent to establish the seat of Havel's library. However, the project has faced significant delays.

According to Bakala, the library was to occupy about a third of the building after reconstruction. The project was prepared by Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill and the Czech architectural office TaK. The new owners of the building managed to reach an agreement with the tenants for their eviction. The only one who refused was Vejtasa, even though Bakala offered him compensation. For years, he has been communicating with authorities regarding the reconstruction of the building.

Previously, the Club for Old Prague and residents of neighboring buildings have been critical of the reconstruction. However, Prague heritage conservationists, whose opinion is necessary for zoning and building permits in the area, agreed to the reconstruction of the building. Their opinions were also approved some time ago by Culture Minister Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL).