The City Council of Prague 1 did not adopt any resolution regarding Jindřišská věž
Prague – Today, the representative of the Prague 1 district did not adopt any resolution regarding the possible purchase of the Jindřišská tower, which is offered for sale by the Prague archdiocese. The proposal submitted by Deputy Mayor Tomáš Heres (ODS) that the Prague municipality should use the acquisition of monuments in the center of the metropolis did not receive enough votes. Even the opposition proposal, which stated that Prague 1 was not interested in acquiring the tower, did not receive the necessary support.
Jindřišská věž is part of the Prague conservation area listed on the UNESCO list of cultural and natural heritage. According to Heres, the Prague archdiocese is offering it for a minimum price of 70 million. According to the deputy mayor, 16 entities are now interested in buying the monument.
Heres called the purchase of the property by the town hall disadvantageous and abstained from voting during the council’s decision. One of the reasons, he said, is that the building is rented for decades and leaks into it. The long-term tenant of the tower is the company Jindřišská věž, s.r.o., which belongs to builders and entrepreneurs Martin Podzimko. The contract for the new property from 2000 was concluded for a certain period until the end of 2044. The Vicar General of the Prague Archdiocese, Jan Balík, has previously stated that the tower requires an investment of about 20 to 30 million crowns for repairs.
Mayor Terezie Radoměřská (TOP 09) and other members of the coalition spoke out against Prague 1 buying the medieval tower. “Prague 1 does not have the means to buy a historical monument, it was never owned by the municipal district, it is not some kind of purchase back into the property of the municipality,” the mayor said before the vote.
Similarly, opposition representatives Petr Burger (KDU-ČSL/ We co žejeme), former mayor Petr Hejma (BEZPP/ We co taje žejeme) and Pavel Marc (Green Party/Prague 1 Sobě) will also reach you. His proposal for a resolution that Prague 1 is not interested in acquiring the tower as property was created by five of the 23 representatives present. Even fewer voted for the motion presented by the councilor, who provided three members of the council. At the same time, 14 votes are needed to approve the resolution. Members of the Naše PRAHA 1 political club rejected the purchase of the tower at the offered commercial price, said representative Karel Ulm (BEZPP/ Naše PRAHA 1). “We can imagine it for a symbolic price, but it is not presented,” he said.
The Prague municipality is considering the purchase of the tower. Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) announced at the end of November that the capital wanted to use the purchase of the tower. According to its vicar general, the Prague archdiocese does not plan to prepare special conditions for Prague, as a potential buyer of the tower. According to the vicar general, the church must act as a proper steward and property that is economically disadvantageous to it, as best as possible. Balík said in November after a meeting with representatives of Prague that the archdiocese would give the city time to prepare an offer until the end of the year.
Jindřišská věž is a building from the 15th century, which is almost 66 meters high. There is now a souvenir shop, whiskery-cafe and gallery on the ten floors. The tower is also used for cultural programs. On the top floor there is a view of the Prague panorama.