The area of the Castle is set to belong to the state according to the forthcoming constitutional law

Prague - The Ministry for Regional Development (MMR) proposes that the grounds of Prague Castle should belong to the ownership of the Czech Republic. Therefore, it is preparing a draft constitutional law, which it sent today to the inter-ministerial comment procedure. Several buildings within the Castle grounds belong to the Catholic Church, which considers the proposal a violation of the protection of private property. The proposed legalization of the ownership of Prague Castle was pointed out by the website Česká justice.cz.

"This is primarily for historical reasons, but also practical ones. It is not possible to ensure adequate protection for this unique national cultural monument and at the same time the safety of the President of the Republic in his residence, which is also expressly regulated in the currently presented implementation law, unless the relevant properties are in the exclusive ownership of the Czech Republic," states the explanatory report.

"This is a confiscation law. Therefore, it is also presented as constitutional. Of course, we perceive it as a law fundamentally contradicting democratic principles of protection of private property," said Tomáš Holub, Secretary General of the Czech Bishops' Conference and the new Bishop of Plzeň, in response to a query from ČTK. According to him, church representatives are now gathering more information about the proposal.

According to the MMR, Prague Castle is not only a historical, extraordinarily valuable cultural monument, frequented by a significant number of tourists. The objects that form its grounds, created by gradual extensions, are now used by the state, the Roman Catholic Church, or other individuals. The complex is used by the President of the Republic, the Office of the President of the Republic, and other institutions.

Šlechtová has already expressed herself regarding the relationship between the state, the church, and Prague Castle previously on social media according to Česká justice. "Yes! I believe that Prague Castle is a symbol of our national sovereignty, it is our symbol, of our republic, and I do not think that any buildings on the Castle should be returned to the church. (...) I do not agree with that as a citizen of the Czech Republic and a patriot," she wrote on Facebook.

This March, representatives of the Castle and the Catholic Church concluded a property settlement. The Metropolitan Chapter acquired the building of the New Provostry and one of the neo-Gothic Mocker's houses. The religious matrix received the St. George's Monastery. The Church also acquired the Church of All Saints, giving up other claims to castle properties.

The Chamber of Deputies will soon deal with a proposal by the opposition KSČM to enshrine state ownership of properties in the area of Prague Castle by a special law. The Communists proposed that the law on Prague Castle should enshrine the right of the state to manage the properties in its area, along with other properties forming a single functional unit and related movable items. The norm would expressly specify St. Vitus Cathedral as part of the castle complex. The cabinet did not support the proposal today. "The adoption of the proposed law would effectively lead to the expropriation of items already in the ownership of church entities," stated the government.