ÚSTR paid 47.2 million CZK for the mistakes of the previous management during the reconstruction of its headquarters

Prague - The Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes (ÚSTR) had to pay 47.2 million crowns last year for the former management's missteps during the unsuccessful reconstruction of the former headquarters of the institution in Prague's Žižkov district. In the annual report on the activities of the institute and the Archive of Security Forces, which will be discussed by the Senate, stated by the chairwoman of the institute's council Monika MacDonagh‑Pajerová and the director of ÚSTR Ladislav Kudrna. Thus, the total expenses of the institute last year amounted to 253.6 million crowns.

Nevertheless, according to the chairwoman of the council and the director of the institute, last year was successful for the institution, among other things, because it managed to relocate to the Archa Palace in Prague after eight years of operation in various spaces. For a seven-year lease of four floors of the palace, it will pay a total of 113.1 million crowns. Thanks to the move to the Archa Palace, the institute reopened the Ján Langoš Library and the Center for Czechoslovak War Diaries and Letters.

After the unsuccessful reconstruction, the remains of the former ÚSTR headquarters in Žižkov are now managed by the Office for Representation of the State in Property Matters. The capital city would like to acquire the property to build facilities for the Viktoria Žižkov stadium and rental apartments after its demolition. The plan for ÚSTR to relocate to the Petschek Palace at the corner of Politických vězňů and Washingtonova streets failed. The palace, which housed the Nazi secret police during World War II, is used by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

In addition to its core activities, the institute conducted detailed and extensive archival research, enabling it to publish a list of prominent figures of the communist regime, "thereby significantly contributing to the reduction of their pensions," the report states. ÚSTR has also obtained permission to submit proposals for the recognition of the status of a participant in the resistance and opposition against communism.

According to the annual report, the institute also contributed to the withdrawal of history textbooks that, according to its leadership, relativized the criminality of the communist regime and omitted or belittled historical facts and figures. The Ministry of Education approved the textbook Contemporary History for 9th grade and multi-year gymnasiums, but the publisher Fraus withdrew it from the market last year after criticism from ÚSTR to avoid potential lawsuits. The publisher stated at the time that otherwise it considered the publication a quality teaching material for using the so-called inquiry method.

Despite significant investments by the former leadership of the institute in educational tools like HistoryLab in previous years, the current management has stated that it has failed to prevent a serious deepening of ignorance about modern history among many pupils and students. Last year, according to the institute, it managed to address this only partially. In addition to 24 publications, including a four-volume monograph about the 232 executed by the communist regime for political reasons, the institute organized dozens of conferences, lectures, and seminars. It digitized over 107,000 files.

ÚSTR has been operational since February 1, 2008. It is an organizational component of the state, and its activities can only be interfered with based on law. According to the law, the institute's task is to investigate and impartially evaluate the era of un-freedom (1938 to 1945) and communist totalitarian power (1948 to 1989).