The ÚZSVM requested a building permit for the reconstruction of the Klárov Institute for the Blind

Prague - The Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) has submitted a request for a building permit for the reconstruction of the former Klárov Institute for the Blind. Reconstruction work on the building in the center of Prague, opposite the government office, is expected to start in 2028, the property office stated today in a press release. The building is intended for representative purposes in the future, and some offices of the government may also be relocated there.

ÚZSVM took over the building in 2019 from the Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Prague. The reconstruction of the property was approved in October 2021 by the government of then-Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), and last December, the property office signed a contract with the selected general designer of the project, which became the company Masák & Partner. The request for a building permit was submitted by ÚZSVM last week; after obtaining it, documentation for the construction will be processed, and a public contract for its supplier will be issued.

The new building of the former Klárov Institute for the Blind was built between 1906 and 1909 as part of the Institute for the Care and Employment of Adult Blind People. It was designed by architect Josef Piskač in a historicizing style with Art Nouveau elements. It included bathing facilities, gyms, a ceremonial and concert hall, as well as rooms intended for the development of mental and manual work for the visually impaired.

In 1946, the building was adapted for the economic council and later served as the House of Culture of the Body, where a publicly accessible pool for recreational swimming and gymnasiums were available. It also featured the first public sauna in Prague. Since 1993, the building has housed the District Public Prosecutor's Office for Prague 1 and 7. In 2002, the basement of the building with the pool was affected by floods. After the transfer of the public prosecutor's office, the building was taken over by ÚZSVM, which accommodated the interest of the government office to use the building for representative and administrative purposes.