The construction of the building for the Slav Epic will likely begin next year

Prague - The construction of the building for the Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha will likely begin at the Holešovice Exhibition Grounds in Prague next year. According to councilor Bohumil Černý (ODS), the approval process is currently underway. A competition for the company that will carry out the work is expected to take place in the autumn. The building should be completed next year or in 2008, Černý told ČTK today.
    According to the original plans, construction was supposed to begin last year; at the beginning of this year, there was talk of this year. However, the wait was for one opinion for the approval process. "I hope there will be no further delays," Černý stated today.
    It is still possible that the modern house with a steel structure, which will look like a box placed upright, could be completed next year, according to the councilor. "The construction is not complicated," he noted. The building, costing around 150 million crowns, fits well at the Exhibition Grounds, as the monumental paintings will have an ideal microclimate there, he added.
    However, according to previous information, the idea is not favored by Mucha's descendants. They consider the Exhibition Grounds unsuitable for displaying the epic because it is associated with carousels and fairs. Mucha (1860 - 1939) donated the paintings to Prague on the condition that they be exhibited in a hall built for that purpose.
    According to Černý, Mucha's descendants are likely to still have objections, but they reportedly have not filed any lawsuit. "All the documents speak in our favor," emphasized the councilor.
    Currently, the epic is housed in the castle in Moravský Krumlov in the Znojmo region. There has been talk of relocating it back to the metropolis for many years. There have been numerous proposals for where the work should be displayed. Recently, a proposal emerged that the best place for the Slav Epic would be the Clementinum. However, Černý asserts that then Mucha's requirement would not be fulfilled.