In a neo-Renaissance building on Jindřišská Street in Prague, the post office has been located for 150 years

Prague - Selection of information about the historic building of Czech Post on Jindřišská Street in Prague (the postal service has announced a tender for the building, the starting price is 1.538 billion crowns):

- Czech Post on Jindřišská Street in Prague 1 is located in a large Neo-Renaissance building constructed between 1871 and 1874 and subsequently expanded. In 1998, this building was declared a cultural monument. The post office offers a wide range of services here; its headquarters is in the side wing with an entrance from Politických vězňů Street. One interesting feature is the 1780 mailboxes located in the building. Some of them have their original form, while others are modern. Czech Post has been located on Jindřišská since 1873, marking a full 150 years.

- The now four-story building was built by Jan Bělský in the Neo-Renaissance style according to a design by Antonín Brandner. Its dominant feature and center is a large reception hall with a glass roof. This space was originally a courtyard where postal carriages arrived. The artistic decoration in the Neo-Renaissance style was created by painter Karel Vítězslav Mašek, a significant Czech representative of symbolism and Art Nouveau. He captured scenes of transport and postal services, as well as numerous botanical motifs related to the history of this location. Historic photographs of postal staff and old mailboxes can be found on the balcony in the hall.

- The first mentions of the location where the post office building now stands on Jindřišská Street are associated with the name of Anděl from Florence, the court pharmacist of Emperor Charles IV. He had not only a house there but primarily a famous garden with medicinal herbs. He is recognized as the founder of systematic pharmacy activities in Prague, and his name is also the basis for the emblem of Prague pharmacists. In 1743, a monastery building with a chapel of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary was built on this site according to the plans of Kilián Ignác Dientzenhofer for the order of the Celestines. However, it was not for long. In 1782, the monastery was dissolved by Joseph II, and two years later it was sold to the state, serving as a revenue office and, after renovation, as a tobacco factory. The factory was moved to Kutná Hora in 1812, leaving only a storage facility behind.

- In 1871, the former monastery was demolished, freeing up a large construction parcel. It was then decided to build the main postal building on it. This took place between 1871 and 1874, when originally a three-story building with a left two-story wing was constructed; the rear part was single-story. In 1885, the second floor of the front transverse section was completed, and ten years later, the rear building was replaced by a three-story transverse wing, and a telephone tower was erected in the second courtyard (which later disappeared). In 1898, the cash hall was modified, simultaneously being roofed and glazed. Postal architect Friedrich Setz partially contributed to the plans for the reconstruction and expansion of the main post office building in 1901. The fourth floor was added in 1922.

- From 1937 to 1939, a significant expansion of the Czech Post building was planned, resulting in a ten-story structure, which many people did not welcome. In addition, an underground tunnel connecting the post office building with Masaryk Station was to be constructed, with a branch to Wilson. However, World War II thwarted this grand plan. During the Prague Uprising, the post office was a site of fierce fighting, as the Nazis unsuccessfully attempted to occupy it.

- The building has undergone several renovations (at the turn of the 40s and 50s, in the 60s, and in the 90s). From 1996 to 1999, a major reconstruction and modernization of the building took place at a cost of 682 million crowns. The main focus was on the hall, which became a modern workspace for customer service.

- The sale of the building has been speculated several times before. For example, in July 2019, the Prague City Council announced that it was in talks with Czech Post about the possible purchase of its headquarters on Jindřišská Street, with the idea that after 2028, when the lease of Škodův Palace expires, to relocate its officials there. Subsequently, the postal service stated that it was not offering the building for sale.

- Interior Minister Vít Rakušan (STAN) said this April that he is not opposed to the idea that Czech Post could sell the building. A month ago, the postal service offered the building on the public administration portal with a minimum price based on an estimate of 1.325 billion crowns. Now, Czech Post has announced a tender for the building with a starting price of 1.538 billion crowns without VAT. This tender preceded an offer of the property to state institutions, which went unused.

- The building is still of interest to the capital city, which has the right of first refusal on the highest bid in the currently announced tender. The interest of the Prague City Council to participate in any future auctions of Czech Post for the sale of the central branch and other properties was approved by the Prague representatives at the end of June. At that time, the city stated that it would prefer a direct purchase of the properties.