The magistrate will file a criminal complaint regarding the Vyšehrad train station waiting area

Prague - City hall preservationists want to file a criminal complaint by the end of the week regarding the demolished waiting room of the Vyšehrad railway station, said their chief Jan Kněžínek to ČTK today. The company, which won the Czech Railways tender last year and purchased the historic building of the station at Vyšehrad, demolished the former waiting room without the opinions of the preservationists or the Railway Authority. The house stood between the tracks and was connected to the main building by an underpass.
    Kněžínek does not yet know if the criminal complaint regarding the demolished part of the station, which has been declared a movable cultural monument, will be directed specifically at the investor. The city lawyers are looking into the matter.
    The city hall of the second municipal district is also concerned about the station building after experiences with the new owner, who illegally cut down trees and shrubs and damaged a new sidewalk. “Something will definitely happen, especially if the investor continues to act as he has been,” said deputy mayor Václav Vondrášek.
    According to the mayor of Prague 2, Jana Černochová (ODS), it is also possible for the preservationists to request a preliminary injunction from the court to prevent the owner from destroying the second building as well. “It will depend on how the court will take all these circumstances into account,” Černochová stated. Kněžínek does not rule out such a solution either. “In this case, we will use any method available,” Kněžínek told ČTK.
    If the company does not communicate with the authorities, it is possible to appoint a so-called guardian, the mayor added. The city hall has so far been unable to contact the company, which is not communicating even with the media.
    “We would like to discuss this with the Ministry of Transport; we were previously promised that they would help rectify this situation in some way,” Vondrášek noted. According to spokesperson Karel Hanzelka, the ministry is ready to negotiate with the city hall. “If there is any problem, they should turn to us,” Hanzelka told ČTK.
    The Railway Authority was originally responsible for the station. After the sale, this responsibility was supposed to transfer to the construction office of the municipal district, but the Railway Authority has not handed it over according to Vondrášek. According to the mayor, the Railway Authority could have also prevented the destruction of the monument. After the sale of the station, according to Černochová, they could have started negotiating with the new owner to take action regarding the monument, which is in very poor condition.
    The railways have been looking for tenants for the historic building since the early 90s. Last year, they announced a tender, and TIP Estate offered the highest bid. The city hall of Prague 2 was also interested in the building, wanting to create a cultural and social center there.