The illegal children's playground will be removed from the roof of the department store Máj

Prague – The owner of the recently renovated department store Máj in Prague will remove the outdoor playground on the roof of the building, which was created without permission. This was reported today by the spokesperson of Prague 1, Karolína Šnejdarová. On the roof, parking space will be established in accordance with the original building permit and occupancy certificate. The department store is owned by Amadeus Real Estate, which reopened it in June after a complete renovation. The design of the interiors and the outdoor sculpture by artist David Černý received criticism.

According to the spokesperson, a withdrawal of the application for additional permission, which was originally intended to legalize the outdoor playground, was received by the building authority of Prague 1 on Friday from the investors. "All play elements of the playground will be disassembled, their dismantling is already underway and will be completed no later than the end of September. The terrace in the fifth floor will be restored to its permitted state, that is, to parking for passenger vehicles," the spokesperson stated.

Martin Klán, a member of the board of Amadeus Real Estate, previously told Hospodářské noviny that the mistake occurred on the part of the playground supplier. "They apparently misassessed the installation of mobile play elements on the terrace as a non-construction modification, which usually does not require a permitting process," he stated. The building authority initiated proceedings for the removal of the structure at the end of June; within the ten-day period for filing objections, the developer requested additional construction permission, which was subsequently withdrawn.

The department store Máj in the center of Prague opened to the public on June 24 after approximately two years of renovation. The renovation cost 4.5 billion crowns. Spread over nine floors, Máj offers shops, restaurants, entertainment centers, and a rooftop observation terrace. Even before the opening, there was controversy over two several-meter moving butterflies with a fuselage resembling a Spitfire fighter jet by artist David Černý, which the owners had installed on the building's facade. The interiors of the entertainment centers on the upper floors of the department store subsequently drew criticism from some architects and a section of the public after the opening.