The club for old Prague criticizes the repairs of Judith's Tower, where it is located

Prague - Prague 1 plans a general reconstruction of Juditina Tower at Charles Bridge, which is criticized by the Club for Old Prague, located in the monument since 1927. According to a press statement from the association, the city hall wants to evict it from the tower despite an existing lease agreement, and the planned reconstruction is historically insensitive. According to Prague 1 spokesperson Veronika Blažková, the city hall consulted the reconstruction project with heritage protectors, and the lease with the association will remain in effect. The club will just have to find other premises during the reconstruction, after which it can return to the tower.

According to the Club for Old Prague, the leadership of Prague 1 plans a drastic reconstruction of the tower, which houses spaces for tourists in the cultural monument, and to evict the association. The club has been located in the tower for 90 years and signed a new lease agreement in 1994 for 100 years at a symbolic rent.

Representatives of the association also complain that they have not received any official information from the city hall regarding the reconstruction plans. However, based on available information, they deduce that the reconstruction will jeopardize the historical value of the building. "The proposed reconstruction not only aims to damage the national cultural monument, but presumably also to replace this naturally vibrant place with another tourist circuit," the club's press release states.

The spokesperson for Prague 1 rejects the claim that the city hall plans to evict the association from the tower. "The lease agreement with the Club for Old Prague is of course still in effect, but the club will have to find alternative accommodation for its activities during the repairs - just as all others in similar situations do. We do not understand why the Club for Old Prague chooses such an incorrect approach and disparages Prague 1," the spokesperson told ČTK.

According to her, the club's objections regarding the scope of the planned reconstruction are unfounded. "Prague 1 strictly follows the law and naturally takes care of its property as best as possible," stated the spokesperson. According to her, Prague's heritage protectors have no problem with the project. While the magistrate's heritage protectors agree with the proposal, experts from the National Heritage Institute are against it. However, the magistrate's opinion is decisive for the start of construction.

According to Blažková, the monument is in an emergency state and requires a general repair. Water is leaking into the tower, and a mycological survey revealed wood-damaging fungus in the structure. According to the spokesperson, if the repairs are delayed, irreversible damage to the tower is threatened.

Juditina Tower, or Malostranská Bridge Tower, is the shorter of the two towers that form the gateway from Charles Bridge to the Lesser Town. The building was part of Judith Bridge, which stood in the place of today's Charles Bridge. The tower was built in the Romanesque style in the 12th century. The Club for Old Prague has operated a bookstore in the tower since 2007 and organizes lectures, concerts, and other events for the public.