Another historical house from the Prague heritage reserve is likely to disappear

Prague - Another historic building is likely to vanish from the Prague monument reservation. The long-decrepit two-story building at Soukenická 12 is set to be replaced by an eight-story new construction with underground garages. According to information from ČTK, the building authority of Prague 1 is expected to decide on the demolition order in the coming days. The spokesperson for the city district, Veronika Blažková, said that the office "is conducting a local investigation". She did not want to comment further on the situation. Prague 1 has previously permitted the demolition of two classicist wings of the house in the courtyard of the property.
According to documents available to ČTK, the office had already approved rescue work in May, which included emergency repairs to the roof. However, the investor, the firm Bau-invest, removed the entire roof covering, including the rafters, from the building. A July inspection report from Prague's heritage authorities indicates that the historic rafters were removed by the investor without permission. The investor defends themselves in the material with an assessment from an expert institute.
Heritage protectors had previously approved the construction of an administrative residential building. However, the condition was to preserve and renovate the original house.
There are many historic buildings in the city center that are unutilized and are in a state of disrepair. Critics argue that owners intentionally let buildings deteriorate in order to achieve their demolition and then develop new constructions on valuable plots. Recently, a heated discussion took place regarding the demolition of the remains of former printing houses on Opletalova Street. The owner is also seeking to demolish the adjacent corner building.