The architect is not entitled to compensation from the Václav Havel Library, the court confirmed

Prague – Architect Petr Pištěk is not entitled to the 300,000 crowns he demanded from the Václav Havel Library as compensation for damages related to the selection process for a proposal for an artistic installation at Prague Airport. This was confirmed today by the Prague Municipal Court, which dismissed Pištěk's appeal. Adam Wenig, the court spokesperson, replied to ČTK's inquiry.

"The contested ruling has been upheld. The reason for confirmation is that the Václav Havel Library did not err in assessing the selection process," Wenig stated.

In his lawsuit, Pištěk claimed that the library unlawfully evaluated the selection process. According to him, the projects that placed in the top four positions did not meet the competition's conditions – specifically, the requirement for a digital exhibition based on touch control. Architect Petr Franta succeeded with his proposal in the competition, while Pištěk finished fifth. The library denied any wrongdoing; according to its lawyer, Pištěk misunderstood the competition's conditions and incorrectly interpreted the term digital exhibition.

The District Court for Prague 1 already stated, among other things, that there was no legal entitlement to the awarding of a prize, and therefore the claim for compensation cannot be valid either.

The work, which was to replace the Forum Havlum installation with quotes from the first Czech president at Ruzyně Airport, ultimately was not created there. The airport abandoned the idea, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic.