The South Bohemian Association warns the minister about Mikeš

Prague - The South Bohemian Heritage Association warns Minister of Culture Václav Jehlička against collaborating with the former mayor of Český Krumlov, František Mikeš. He has been working at the ministry since last month and the office reportedly considers him for the position of deputy. The association believes that Mikeš threatens the credibility of the office, citing his long-standing involvement in local governance. The ministry does not give much weight to the association's complaints - according to the office, this is more of a local issue in which personal disputes play a significant role.
    "Based on our experiences in Krumlov, we fear that František Mikeš could harm any entrusted area even more seriously than Tomáš Hájek managed in his role as director of the National Heritage Institute last year," the association writes in a letter to the minister. Hájek was appointed to the head of the institute by former Minister of Culture Vítězslav Jandák based on a competition. This move and Hájek's subsequent tenure sparked an unprecedented wave of criticism from the heritage community.
    The director of the minister's section, Milan Kupka, argues against the complaints, stating that Mikeš was not appointed to his positions in Krumlov, but emerged from legitimate elections - thus, for many years he represented the citizens who elected him.
    Mikeš has been at the ministry for several weeks now. He has not yet been appointed as deputy. Meanwhile, he is facing a lawsuit for alleged misappropriation of state subsidies after the floods in 2002, amounting to 21 million crowns. Today, the Senate postponed the hearing to Tuesday, when a ruling is expected.
    The heritage community of Český Krumlov is an association focused on the protection of cultural and natural heritage. One of the association's members is currently a member of the Scientific Council for State Heritage Care, an advisory body to the Ministry of Culture.
    His negative experiences with Mikeš as the head of the District Office in Český Krumlov (1992 to 2002) and later as the mayor of the city are documented, for example, by a report on inspections carried out by the heritage inspection of the ministry in 2001, which ČTK has at its disposal.
    According to it, the then district office violated the heritage law, failed to properly supervise building renovations of monuments, thereby contributing to their damage or devaluation. The report states that the deficiencies identified had deepened since the previous inspection and their essence lies in the management of the office. The report includes proposals for measures to improve the situation, which Mikeš signed in August 2001.
    Even after a year, as indicated by the documentation, no rectification was made. The director of the ministerial department of heritage care urged the rectification from both the then mayor of Krumlov, Antonín Prince, and the regional office.
    According to the director of the cultural heritage section of the Ministry of Culture, Zdeněk Novák, however, the heritage inspection, like other inspections, does not provide a balance, meaning it does not write about what works well but only publishes identified deficiencies. "Exemplary" cases during inspections of the former 82 district offices at the heritage inspection were around ten, Novák told ČTK.
    Nevertheless, the association states that the result of Mikeš's tenure was "a gradual deep decline in the level of monument protection throughout the district." "This trend is inexorably heading towards a potential challenge to the inscription of the city on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List," the association states.