The Church of St. Michael has not served its original purpose for decades

Prague - The Church of St. Michael near the Old Town Square on Michalská Street has a proud history. It is a monument to the Hussite movement, where Jan Hus and Jakoubek of Stříbro preached. However, its present fate is tragic - the church long ago ceased to serve its original purpose, and the attempt to convert it into a tourist attraction was unsuccessful.
Originally a Gothic church mentioned as early as 1311, it was rebuilt around the mid-18th century. In 1786, Emperor Joseph II dissolved it. The church was deconsecrated and served as a warehouse for two centuries.
The modern history of the church began in 1982, when the State Library, now the National Library of the Czech Republic, acquired the building from the Ministry of Culture. However, it lacked the funds for its maintenance, and the building did not meet its needs. Additionally, in 1991, the church was struck by a fire, which required further financing.
The lack of funds was the main reason why the government decided in 1992 to sell the devastated church. The bidder who intended to convert the building into a bank acquired it for 131 million crowns. However, shortly after the auction, he withdrew from the plan and returned the church.
The National Library then leased the church to Kontakt Moravia, which founded the company Michal Praha. This company renovated the church and operated a multimedia historical show, a cinema, a restaurant, and various social events within it. The bizarre multimedia show, however, did not attract the interest of foreign tourists. The criticized spectacle presented history in a truly unconventional way - in one part, for example, Adolf Hitler was born from a disintegrating figure of a golem.
Ultimately, the operator ended the unsuccessful project. Last August, the National Library sold the monument-protected building to the tenant for 46 million crowns.