The last drop fell. Prague is “full” for the expropriation of Vyšehrad Railway Station
Councilor Jan Chabr (TOP 09), who is in charge of caring for the city’s property, said of the problem: “I am generally a strong supporter of private property and its inviolability. However, it is necessary to realize that ownership means not only rights, but also obligations to take care of property according to the relevant regulations, “he described. “If someone buys a property and knows that it is a cultural monument, they have a duty to take proper care of it too!” He stressed.
The owner of the building has been RailCity Vyšehrad for the last thirteen years. For the last three years or so, it has not responded to conservationists’ calls for interior inspections and urgent repairs. For this, the company received several fines from last year, which it paid for less than two hundred thousand of the final amount of around one million and a quarter crowns.
A lengthy process with uncertain delivery
The city is therefore ready, after consultation with the Ministry of Culture, to start expropriation in accordance with the Act on State Monument Care. According to Chabr, this untested process in the Czech Republic can be lengthy and its outcome uncertain.
Every negotiation on the purchase of buildings between the owner and the municipality and Prague 2 was unsuccessful. Which city will receive 67 million, based on expert opinions, the owner of the building wanted almost twice.
Councilor Chabr also said that the option for the near future is to carry out the necessary remediation and static work of the cities “at the expense of the property owner”. These days, conservationists are conducting local investigations in the building to determine the next steps.
A damaged roof is no accident
As for the “disappearance” of a large part of the roof, the councilor of Prague 2 Michal Zuna (TOP 09) is convinced of the intention. “It’s obvious from the walls. It is now necessary to ensure the safety of the surroundings and not to allow the building to persist significantly disturbed the roof structure. In this matter, the city district of Prague 2 urgently communicates with the owner’s representatives and has also filed a criminal complaint for a general threat, “Zuna explained.
The former station building has not served its original purpose since the middle of the last century. In the case of the purchase or expropriation of the city, the place is selected as one of the seven options for the permanent seat of Mucha’s Slavic Epic.