Unique brickworks in Štíty is a cultural monument

Štíty (Šumpersko) - The Ministry of Culture has declared the brickworks in Štíty, in the Šumperk region, a cultural monument. This was done despite the disagreement of the current owner of the building, the Czech Budějovice company Wienerberger, brick industry, which has filed an appeal against this decision. The Minister of Culture, Václav Jedlička, rejected it in mid-March, as reported today by Tomáš Tichák, a collaborator from the National Heritage Institute in Olomouc.
    According to Irena Blažková from the Olomouc branch of the National Heritage Institute, the brickworks, dating from 1911, is a unique technical structure with original equipment. It features a furnace with a so-called zigzag fire channel, which appears only sporadically in the Czech Republic, and it also includes a horse mill and a mixing machine. The brickworks was in operation until 2004, but since then it has not been maintained, and for example, its chimney is now significantly tilted.
    The alleged dilapidated state of the building was one of the arguments of the owner, who wanted to demolish the structure. He argued that brickworks of this type are not entirely unique in the Czech Republic and that heritage protection would prevent further business development of the company. "The Minister explained in his decision that the subject of the assessment is not other brickworks, but this one, proposed for inclusion in the list of monuments. The land on which the building stands is not protected, and further business activities on it are not hindered in any way," Tichák stated.
    According to representatives of the town hall, if the building were included in the list of cultural monuments, it could open the way for funding for its repair. The brickworks has not been heated for two years, which may reflect on its technical condition.