Žižkov Station has been officially declared a cultural monument

Prague - Minister of Culture Alena Hanáková has definitively confirmed the heritage protection of the Žižkov Freight Station. The decision was announced today by the Deputy Mayor of Prague 3, Matěj Stropnický (ŽnS). The investor originally intended to demolish the building in collaboration with Czech Railways and build a new quarter on the vast area. However, some civic initiatives and the Žižkov municipality opposed this.
     Jan Vondryska from the Ministry of Culture did not confirm the information from Prague 3. In response to a query from ČTK, he only stated that the decision regarding the station was made on Friday. The ministry will publish how the minister decided on Tuesday.
     The minister has rejected several appeals from Czech Railways and confirmed the heritage protection of the station for the fourth time. The decision is thus no longer subject to reversal. The main building of the station, which consists of three wings - the administrative wing along Želivského Street and two wings for transloading - has become a cultural monument.
     "The inscription on the list of cultural monuments has crowned our efforts only in the first stage," stated Stropnický. The municipality now wants to negotiate with the owner, which is Czech Railways, about the further use of the area. "I am diligently negotiating with several organizers of temporary projects that would make the station accessible to the public this year, as well as with several interested parties for permanent use," he added.
     "We do not know about this decision yet, so I cannot comment on it," said Czech Railways spokesperson Petr Šťáhlavský to ČTK.
     The building from the 1930s is considered by experts to be one of the most modern of its kind in Europe in terms of both technology and architecture. "It is an exceptionally high-quality and very well-preserved example of a functionalist building of technical purpose, which demonstrates the high technical and architectural sophistication of industrial buildings in the territory of the former Czechoslovak Republic," the ministry had previously stated.
     The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) views the functionalist building of the station as a valuable reminder of the architecture of its time, but according to heritage experts, the area is capable of accommodating a new function. There has been long-term discussion that the building of the station could house the National Film Archive (NFA), which currently has emergency and rented spaces at several locations in Prague.