The owner covered the Vilu na Petřinách with a black tarp in protest

Publisher
ČTK
02.11.2016 08:20
Czech Republic

Prague

Prague - The functionalist villa in Petřiny, which its owner Jiří Šalda wants to demolish and replace with a four-story new building, has been covered with a huge black tarp criticizing the authorities' procedures. Šalda states on a website dedicated to the issue of the villa that he is protesting against the contradictory decisions of state bodies, which he claims violate his property rights. The Ministry of Culture is expected to announce soon whether it will declare the house built in 1939 a cultural monument.


Šalda received approvals for the demolition of the villa in the spring, including from the Prague 6 building department and heritage protectors. Subsequently, local residents petitioned for the preservation of the functionalist building. Some architects also joined the objections. Jiří Skalický, head of Prague's heritage protectors, told ČTK at the time that the villa has significant architectural value and it would be desirable to preserve it. However, the house is not located in a heritage zone and is not a cultural monument, which is why objections to its demolition cannot be filed under the heritage care law. Antonín Nechvátal, a representative of Prague 6 from the Green Party, therefore approached the Ministry of Culture to make the villa on Na Petřinách Street a protected property.

Šalda reminded that Nechvátal, as a member of the Prague 6 Spatial Development Commission, originally voted for the demolition of the old house and the construction of a new one. The department of heritage care of the Prague City Hall and the National Heritage Institute also expressed agreement in March regarding both the demolition of the existing house and the construction of the new building. "However, three months later, after a media campaign, those same bodies expressed themselves completely differently, in favor of declaring the house a cultural monument," said the owner.

The Ministry of Culture has not yet decided on this matter, added Šalda. From the previous discussions with the heritage protectors, however, he understood that the house is to be declared a cultural monument.

Nechvátal told ČTK today that he does not remember the exact details of the commission's meeting regarding the demolition of the villa, and he started fighting against the demolition when he became familiar with expert assessments emphasizing the architectural value of the Petřiny villa. He is now waiting for the Ministry of Culture's decision. According to the representative, Šalda uses a number of false arguments. Nechvátal added that it is his right to strive for the preservation of the valuable building in the area of the sixth municipal district.

The apartment villa designed by architect Pavel Simonov is located at Na Petřinách Street 1482/7. Šalda purchased the house last year, and as he stated, due to the neglected condition of the property, he abandoned the idea of renovation and decided to build a new residential building with underground garages, which he believes will fit into the current construction.
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