The director of the NK found a new plot of land for Kaplický's building

Prague - The Director of the National Library (NK) Vlastimil Ježek has found a new plot of land for the potential construction of a new building for his institution. A private company came to Ježek with an offer. "We are close to signing an agreement," Ježek told ČTK today. The price that the library, or the state, should pay for the land is, according to Ježek, similar to that of the original site in Letná.
    However, according to him, the mentioned agreement would impose any obligations only on the owner of the land, not on the library. The site meets all the conditions that the originally intended Letná had. The plot is located in the wider city center, is well accessible by public transport, and is in an area not threatened by flooding. He does not wish to specify the location further.
    The author of the building design, Jan Kaplický, is aware of the new plot, but he has not yet commented on it, Ježek stated. Ježek also informed the Ministry of Culture as the founder of the National Library about the negotiations.
    According to the spokesman of the Prague City Hall, Jiří Wolf, the capital city cannot comment on Ježek's plan since it does not know where the plots are located. "If it is a plot in a heritage reserve, heritage experts will comment. The relevant city district will also have to assess whether the construction is in accordance with the zoning plan," said Wolf.
    The originally intended plot in Letná had been promised to the library by the city two years ago, however, the nearly unanimous resolution of the council has not yet been fulfilled, and the plot has begun to be mentioned as one of the main obstacles to the construction.
    In 2006, Prague city councilors resolved that under certain conditions, they would sell the plot to the library for 31.5 million crowns. This price was then stated as half of the market price usually found in the area. The site has long been considered in the zoning plan for construction for church or cultural purposes, but part of it was occupied by a tram loop and the construction would need to be coordinated with the construction of a tunnel.
    The Antimonopoly Office recently published the full text of the European Commission's opinion on the competition for the design of the new National Library building. Based on this, the library management was advised to cancel the competition. According to the commission, it would not be possible to assign the preparation of project documentation directly to Kaplický based on such a competition.
    The newly selected plot is, according to Ježek, ready for construction, as it is connected to engineering networks.
    The construction according to Kaplický's design in Letná was initially rejected by Prague's ODS. In the summer, Minister Václav Jehlička (KDU-ČSL) stated that in this form, the library would probably not be constructed by the state. In addition to the plots and problems surrounding the architectural competition, there is mention of a lack of funds for construction. Due to the fact that a year and a half after the announcement of its results it is still unclear whether the construction will take place or not, there is speculation about Ježek's dismissal.