The members of the expert council of NPÚ resigned, the director dissolved it

Prague - At least four of the fourteen members of the advisory board of the General Director of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) Tomáš Hájek resigned today, with others still considering such a step. They justified their decision by disagreeing with Hájek's management methods and the ambiguity of his conceptual intentions. However, Hájek dissolved the advisory body in the meantime.
"In such a wide range of opinions, agreement could not be reached," spokesperson for the institute Simona Hradilová told ČTK. According to her, Hájek will assemble a new council, probably in a narrower composition, and likely only after the June elections.
"After criticism that it was composed only of architects, the director of the institute supplemented the council - but it did not meet,” said heritage expert Karel Ksandr, one of the four who resigned. Members of the council, according to him, did not have the opportunity to express themselves on the actions, including personnel ones, that Hájek has undertaken since his appointment at the beginning of this year.
"We do not want our names to serve something we disagree with; we do not want the general director to use us as authorities. We consider our membership in the council, which has not met since March, to be unnecessary," said Ksandr. Alongside Ksandr, Václav Girsa, Josef Holeček, and Irena Bukačová also resigned.
According to some heritage experts who criticized Hájek, the director, in close contact with architects, succumbed to the influence of one lobbying group. Architect Chamber Secretary Josef Plos and heritage care methodologist Josef Holeček, who were members of the advisory council, were also members of the selection committee searching for a new director of the institute. Heritage experts claim that architects, by their profession, are often directly at odds with the protection of monuments.