By the end of October, it should be clear whether Prague will regain Štvanice

Prague - By the end of October, it should be clear whether and under what conditions Prague will manage to regain the Štvanice island. Until then, the working group will present the city leadership with the results of negotiations regarding the terms of the termination of the contract with the tenant Meridianspa, said councilor Aleksandra Udženija (ODS) to ČTK today. The company had preliminarily agreed during negotiations in early September to be willing to cancel the contract for the revitalization of the island. Prague wants to establish a temporary skating rink where the demolished stadium used to stand.
    Udženija is therefore now waiting for the conditions under which Meridianspa will withdraw from the contract. "I hope the conditions will be acceptable," she noted. "It is important that there is mutual will and that we have it confirmed in writing," she added.
    The city hall and Meridianspa established a commission to agree on the terms of withdrawal. The deadline was set for October 31. "If we fail to find an agreement by this deadline, we will take legal steps to avoid further delays," said the councilor.
    She added that Meridianspa also agrees with the city hall's intention to establish a temporary skating rink at the site where the historic winter stadium used to stand.
    Meridianspa gained the island for lease for 88 years about ten years ago. They were to renovate it and build a sports and relaxation center with a swimming pool and spa. However, the reconstruction has not yet started. It has been delayed, for example, by disputes with the tenant of the hockey stadium, which the court resolved only at the beginning of this year.
    However, at the beginning of January, the stadium was closed due to its poor technical condition because the roof had collapsed. The building authority of Prague 7 subsequently ordered its demolition at the end of May. However, this was opposed by the National Heritage Institute, among others. Due to the demolition order, the organization Acta non verba filed a criminal complaint against Udženija. The police investigated it but found no wrongdoing.
    The leadership of Prague then decided that it wanted to repair Štvanice itself and re-establish an ice surface where hockey could be played again. The council instructed Udženija to negotiate with Meridianspa regarding the possible withdrawal from the contract by today.
    Several generations of hockey players and figure skaters grew up in the stadium, including the famous figure skater Ája Vrzáňová. In total, Štvanice hosted four World Championships in ice hockey, in the years 1933, 1938, 1947, and 1959.