Some politicians in Brno want a new NK building in Brno

Brno/Prague - Some Brno politicians are thinking about the possibility of building the new National Library (NK), designed by architect Jan Kaplický, in Brno, while most Prague councilors from the ODS oppose its location in Prague's Letná. According to today's Mladá fronta Dnes (MfD), this bold idea was proposed over the weekend by Brno MP Jeroným Tejc from ČSSD. The proposal is very appealing to Brno Mayor Roman Onderka (ČSSD), the newspaper writes. However, according to MfD, the library's management considers relocating modern collections to Brno as excluded.
MfD writes that Onderka is already thinking of a location for the new building. According to him, it could be situated on the site of the former barracks in the district of Řečkovice. "We would need to secure state funding, and I do not know how feasible that is," the mayor of the South Moravian metropolis stated concurrently.
MfD further reports that architect Kaplický has also acknowledged the possibility of constructing the futuristic NK building in another city. He reportedly already has offers. "I have already noted interest and questions from other cities - from Brno, and even Bratislava," Kaplický told MfD, adding that the design is so unique that it has drawn interest from places like Scotland. According to MfD, Kaplický's project was appreciated by the director of the library in Edinburgh.
However, Kaplický simultaneously told MfD that he does not want to withdraw his proposal and does not want to part ways with Prague. He also mentioned that the library cannot be built in another location.
Regarding the fact that Prague Mayor Pavel Bém (ODS) has changed his opinion on the project, Kaplický noted that the mayor changed his mind under pressure from President Václav Klaus, who also disapproves of the new NK construction proposal.
Today's Právo, in connection with speculations about a possible new location for NK, points out that representatives of the sixth Prague district, during a meeting of the urban development commission, decided to request a change in the zoning plan for the former Slet and Spartakiad stadium in Strahov, where the training center of the Sparta Prague football club is currently located.
"It would definitely not be a relocation of Kaplický's building. For one, that is probably impossible, and personally, I believe that such a building cannot be treated like a matchbox and moved around Prague," said Tomáš Chalupa, the mayor of Prague 6, to Právo.
"The space of the large stadium is big enough to create a new National Library there, and additionally, it could also host the Memorial of National Literature and deposits from Hostivař. It is also in the wider center, which is suitable for the library. At the same time, it would not be a problem to preserve the historical character of the stadium," Chalupa added.
The National Library wants to address its spatial issues through the construction of its second building. According to its director Vlastimil Ježek, if a new building does not emerge, there will be a collapse of the library due to capacity reasons after 2010.