The swimming pool in Znojmo is standing without a building permit

Brno - The Louka Swimming Pool in Znojmo has been operating for two years without a valid building permit due to an error by officials. The Supreme Administrative Court recently rejected the appeal by the Znojmo city hall against the ruling of the Regional Court in Brno, which annulled the permit in 2005 because an environmental impact assessment was missing. The building department of the municipal office should now restart the proceedings, as the swimming pool is currently essentially an illegal structure.
     Znojmo city hall spokesperson Denisa Šipošová told ČTK that the city hall has submitted the dispute documentation to lawyers, from whom they expect recommendations for further action. The office insists that the staff of the building department did not err. "The problem lies in different interpretations of the law. The officials based their actions on the ministry of the environment's interpretation," stated Šipošová.
    The city hall and the Environmental Law Service, which challenged the building permit, agree that the Supreme Administrative Court's decision will not affect or limit the operation of the swimming pool. "The occupancy permit was issued at a time when the building permit was valid," the spokesperson said.
    According to environmentalists, the city hall made a mistake. "There should at least be some accountability for the officials, but that is not customary in this country," said Pavel Černý from the Environmental Law Service to ČTK. The Znojmo Beautification Society has also questioned the building permit from the beginning. They objected to the fact that the extensive swimming complex, with a capacity of 2,800 visitors, was built in close proximity to the ancient Louka Monastery, a landmark in the southern part of Znojmo.
    Znojmo opened the new swimming pool for 200 million crowns in June 2004. The complex includes a fifty-meter and a fitness twenty-five-meter pool, both made of stainless steel. It also features a sixty-meter waterslide and a twenty-meter slide, a children's splash pool, a bowling alley with parameters for international competitions, and facilities for cyclists.
    The adjacent Louka Monastery was founded in 1190 and is six times larger than the monastic complex at Strahov in Prague. Austrian Emperor Joseph II placed an engineering academy in the building. The well-known inventor of the lightning rod, Prokop Diviš, also worked in Louka. The army resided in the complex until 1993, after which the building was taken over by the District Office in Znojmo. The city and the state are now looking for funding to repair the dilapidated monastery. It is not yet clear what the complex will be used for.