Zeman wants to return Kaplický's library project to Letná

Liberec - President Miloš Zeman wants to resurrect the unrealized project of Jan Kaplický's library in Prague's Letná. He stated this at today's meeting with citizens during his visit to Liberec.
    "I regret that it was not built. I will try to advocate for this project to be returned to where it belongs, that is, to Letná," he told the people in the main square of Liberec. "Although the president does not have very large powers, he can call ministers, go to parliament, attend government meetings, and bother them long enough until they eventually, not always, comply with him," Zeman noted.
    The new building of the National Library in Prague at Letná was supposed to be the first significant structure by the recognized British architect of Czech origin Jan Kaplický in his homeland. The so-called blob won an architectural competition in March 2007, but was never realized. A heated debate surrounding the ambitious proposal developed, which gradually took on a political dimension. The then-President Václav Klaus and other Prague politicians, mainly from the ODS, opposed the construction.
    Zeman, as he admitted today, is a proponent of Kaplický's library. He also appreciates other modern buildings. He labeled the Liberec hotel and the Ještěd transmitter as one of the most beautiful modern buildings, which the region wants to push for inclusion on the UNESCO list of cultural monuments. According to Zeman, such buildings deserve protection. "With Minister of Culture Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL), we have discussed several times that it would be necessary to protect truly modern and beautiful buildings just as we do for crumbling castles and chateaus," he added.