In Kutná Hora, they are demolishing a panel house that disfigures the historic center

photo: www.khnet.info/demolice

Kutná Hora - In Kutná Hora, workers are currently demolishing a panel building located on the edge of the heritage reservation. The municipal building, which dates back to 1963, has finally been evacuated after many years, and the town hall has hired a company to tear it down by mid-January. However, everything suggests that the work will finish much sooner, Mayor Ivo Šanc (Chance for Kutná Hora) said to reporters today.
    The seven-story building on Uhelná Street was built, according to him, at a time when, according to the mayor, construction was done without regard to the character of the surrounding area. It was particularly an eyesore for heritage preservationists, who believed it disrupted the historical character of the town. Moreover, the building was difficult to maintain, with tenants complaining about humidity and mold.
    So far, despite the persistent incursions of excavators, it retains its original height, but its footprint has shrunk. Heavy machinery has “chipped away” a significant portion of its original dimensions. "It looks like after an air raid," one passerby commented today. Some locals are complaining about the dust, but according to the mayor, the company experienced in similar demolitions is making efforts to minimize the impact on the surroundings.
    According to Šanc, the demolition has been prepared for many years, and the idea originated back in the 1990s. "The previous town hall started to evacuate people, which was about 40 households, but that process took quite a long time because people had to be offered several alternatives for adequate housing," noted the mayor.
    The demolition could only proceed this year, when the building was completely vacated and the town hall could call for tenders for contractors. The costs of demolition were supposed to amount to 8.5 million crowns according to standard prices, but they managed to reduce it to 1.8 million crowns in the tender process. "There will still be some smaller costs for project work, so it will overall amount to about two million crowns," Šanc estimated.
    What will be built on the site of the original structure has yet to be resolved. "We don't want to rush it," said the mayor. According to him, the council has an architectural study on the table that considers the construction of three three-story apartment buildings. However, nothing has been definitively decided yet.