The Gothic cellars near Národní třída will not be a monument

Prague - Minister of Culture Alena Hanáková (TOP 09) today confirmed the decision of her predecessor Jiří Besser (STAN) that only part of the Gothic cellars at Národní třída will be protected as a cultural monument. This was reported today by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Markéta Ševčíková. Two cellars remain protected as cultural monuments, while the other two will not be protected due to their poor condition. Hanáková responded to an appeal filed against Besser's decision last autumn by archaeologists from the Academy of Sciences, who do not consider the minister's verdict to be fortunate.
     "The two cellars under the former buildings No. 72 and 73 at the corner of Spálená and Purkyňova streets were not declared a cultural monument. The reason for not declaring these two cellars as cultural monuments is mainly their deteriorated structural condition caused by adverse weather conditions and traffic load," Ševčíková stated.
     According to her, the minister took into account the opinion of the Prague Public Transport Company, which stated that the monument protection of the cellars would cause problems during the construction of new entrances and exits from the Národní třída metro station. Hanáková reportedly also considered the regulation that imposes the obligation to ensure a sufficient number of parking spaces.
     "At this moment, we cannot take any further steps in this matter. It is the ministry's decision and it is final. Personally, however, I think it is not the best solution," said Jan Mařík from the Archaeological Institute of the Academy of Sciences to ČTK. "The protected part of the cellars must not be damaged in any way and is subject to a relatively strict heritage law. In contrast, the unprotected part can theoretically be destroyed or built over,” he added. According to unconfirmed information from ČTK, the investor of the administrative and residential complex Copa Centrum, where the cellars were discovered, allegedly does not intend to remove the areas not subject to heritage protection. It is reportedly even considering their conservation and exhibition. The company’s statement is being verified by ČTK.
     The Ministry of Culture originally decided that the cellars would be heritage protected as a whole, but Minister Besser later complied with the proposal of the investor of the building to have only the northern part of the cellars declared as a heritage site. Archaeologists from the Academy of Sciences opposed this decision and filed an appeal with the ministry last autumn.
     According to the Academy of Sciences and the National Heritage Institute, the cellars should be declared a heritage site in their entirety. In the submitted appeal, the archaeologists rejected the officials' proposal to dismantle the cellars excluded from monument protection and to build them elsewhere. They also rejected the argument that preserving the cellars would significantly complicate the construction of the Copa Centrum. The ministry reportedly also did not sufficiently justify why the heritage value of the southern part of the cellars should be lower.
     The Copa Centrum project, which is expected to cost about four billion crowns, is co-owned by the CPI group of entrepreneur Radovan Vítek and businessman Sebastian Pawlowski, who has often been associated with the leadership of Prague in the past. The multifunctional building is planned to have four underground and seven or eight above-ground floors.