The Brno NPÚ will be led by Kroupa's former deputy Vácha

Brno - The Brno National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) will be led by Zdeněk Vácha starting next Friday. The director general of the institute, Naděžda Goryczková, decided to appoint him based on the recommendation of the selection committee. Dita Roubíčková from the NPÚ management informed ČTK today. Vácha has served for years as the expert deputy to the director of the Brno office and since November 20 of last year, he has been entrusted with its management after Goryczková dismissed the Brno director, Petr Kroupa.
     "My main task will be to complete the reorganization of NPÚ within the Brno territorial office and to consolidate it after certain turbulences associated with it," Vácha said today to ČTK.
     In the future, he wants to intensify cooperation between the institute, municipal authorities, the region, and the public. He is not preparing any major personnel changes, not even in relation to his predecessor Kroupa.
     After being dismissed from the director's position, Kroupa leads the Center for the Restoration of 20th Century Monuments, which is organizationally under the Brno NPÚ.
     Although the director general criticized Kroupa for his alleged management mistakes, she also pointed out that he is one of the significant experts. "There can be no doubt about his expertise," the new director of South Moravian heritage experts stated regarding Kroupa.
     The subject of the dispute between Goryczková and Kroupa became where the center for the management of Moravian castles and chateaus would be located. Kroupa advocated for Brno, but ultimately Kroměříž was chosen, according to the proposal of the general director. The changes take effect from January 1, when the management of chateaus within the NPÚ was separated from classical heritage care.
     "There is no doubt that for Brno, this means that there is no center in it, which weakens its prestige. On the other hand, the management team now leading the Moravian castles and chateaus in Kroměříž was more professionally capable at the time when the decision was made than in Brno," Vácha noted.
     The dispute between Goryczková and Kroupa was also addressed by the Minister of Culture Alena Hanáková (TOP 09 and STAN). However, she has not yet issued a statement on it. Kroupa rejects the general director's criticisms. He applied for the selection procedure for the position of director from which he was dismissed, but he was unsuccessful.