The Embassy of the Czech Republic in Berlin has said goodbye to the building; the move will take place later

Berlin - The Czech ambassador to Germany, Tomáš Kafka, held a farewell reception today for the embassy building in Berlin, which will undergo a demanding and long-delayed renovation. However, the embassy will remain at its current address for several more months, likely moving only in the summer. The building, a unique example of Brutalism in the German capital, was designed in 1972 by the architects Věra and Vladimír Machonin.

"When we look around us, we see the building as an elderly lady, who is already showing significant signs of fatigue and needs a thorough rejuvenation treatment," said Marie Nováková, deputy director of the property management department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the embassy's premises. "In the case of buildings, we talk about renewal, reconstruction, or repair. In this case, I would rather use the word rehabilitation, in the sense of restoring architectural dignity," she noted.

According to Nováková, the building on Wilhelmstrasse 44 has become a sort of showcase of Czechoslovak socialism. "It is part of our history. We cannot erase or overlook history, but we can do something with the object. We can rehabilitate it," she stated.

After lengthy debates on whether to demolish, sell, or renovate the building, the Czech government decided in 2017 to repair the structure. Initially, it was expected that the renovation would be completed by 2023 and would cost more than half a billion crowns. The costs will now be significantly higher. "It will not be an easy, short, or cheap process, but if we are concerned with restoring the architectural dignity of this object, there is no other way. Let us hope that it succeeds," Nováková remarked.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited Věra Machoninová to collaborate, giving her the opportunity to once again have a say in the design of the work after 50 years. From the outside, the appearance of the building will fundamentally remain unchanged, but the façade will be renewed, and all windows and glass infills will be replaced with energy-efficient ones. All valuable parts of the interior will be preserved, especially the representative spaces. In the vacant parts of the embassy, apartments will be created for the needs of the embassy. A completely new technical background will be built, adhering to the latest energy standards.

The building, completed in 1978, is now largely unused, and its operation is extremely energy-intensive. "The poor condition of the current technical equipment could be expressed in the words of current users as follows - it's hot in summer, cold in winter, you can't live or work here anymore," Nováková said. The planned renovation is currently in the phase of developing project documentation and submitting an application for a building permit.

Although several months remain before the move and the start of repairs, Kafka organized a farewell reception today against the backdrop of the recent Day of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy, inviting compatriots and friends of the embassy. The event included a raffle, in which the embassy included Czech crystal and Karlovy Vary porcelain from its unused stock.

"In preparing for the move, one encounters something that could be called a treasure on Wilhelmstrasse 44 in the world of Vinnetou and Old Shatterhand (German author) Karl May, because we do not have Silver Lake here," Kafka said about the prizes, referencing May's famous novel Treasure on Silver Lake. One of the drawn numbers was ten. "That is, by the way, the new address of the embassy. Heartfelt congratulations," Kafka said about the upcoming temporary location at Hausvogteiplatz 10.