<html>Asset Office obtained a building permit for the reconstruction of Klárov Institute for the Blind</html>

Prague – The Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters (ÚZSVM) has obtained a building permit for the renovation of the former Klárova Institute for the Blind. The property office is now preparing the documentation for the construction and will announce a public tender for the construction contractor. This was stated in a press release by the Government Office of the Czech Republic today. The building opposite the government headquarters is expected to serve future representative and administrative purposes.

"Our goal is to ensure that the building is reopened to the public as much as possible after the renovation. We look forward to creating a space for exhibitions, educational programs, workshops, expert meetings, and other cultural and social events, through which this exceptional building will again become a vibrant part of public life in the center of Prague," said the head of the government office, Tünde Bartha.

ÚZSVM took over the building in 2019 from the Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Prague. The renovation of the property was approved in October 2021 by the government of Prime Minister Andrej Babiš (ANO), and in December 2024, the property office signed a contract with the selected general designer of the construction, which became the company Masák & Partner. The application for the building permit was submitted by ÚZSVM last November. At that time, they expected that renovation work could begin in 2028.

The building of the former Klárova Institute for the Blind was constructed between 1906 and 1909 as part of the Institute for the Care and Employment of Adult Blind People. It was designed by architect Josef Piskač in a historicizing style with Art Nouveau elements. It included bathhouses, gymnasiums, a ceremonial and concert hall, as well as rooms intended for the development of mental and manual work for the visually impaired.

In 1946, the building was adapted for the Economic Council and later served as the House of Physical Culture, where a pool for recreational swimming and gyms were available to the public. It also housed the first public sauna in Prague. Since 1993, the building has been the headquarters of the District State Prosecutor's Office for Prague 1 and 7. In 2002, the basement of the building with the pool was affected by floods. After the public prosecutor's office was relocated, the building was taken over by ÚZSVM.