Holešovice slaughterhouse will remain a monument, the ministry has decided

Prague - The former slaughterhouse in Holešovice will remain a protected monument. The Prague magistrate requested the removal of this protection, or at least a reduction of its scope. The Ministry of Culture (MK) has decided that the current marketplace will remain fully protected. The decision is not yet final, said MK spokeswoman Markéta Ševčíková to ČTK. The magistrate can file an appeal until around mid-February.
    It is unclear whether the magistrate will appeal. Councilor Aleksandra Udženija (ODS) told ČTK that she has not yet familiarized herself with the decision. Last June, the magistrate requested the cancellation of the heritage protection for the entire area of the former slaughterhouse and proposed that only certain objects be declared monuments. These include the water tower, the exchange, and two symmetrical halls at the entrance gate; the gate itself, with the sculpture group by Bohuslav Schnirch and Čeňek Vosmík, has been a separate monument since 1991.
    Prague believes that as a whole, the area of the current marketplace no longer meets the criteria for declaring something a cultural monument as defined by the heritage law. According to the city, it lacks historical authenticity, does not represent an exceptional example of historical development, way of life, and environment, and does not exhibit above-average historical, artistic, and heritage values, as stated in a letter prepared by the magistrate’s department of records and property management.
    The area of the former slaughterhouse has been a cultural monument since 1993. In its request for the removal of protection, Prague states that the previous declaration "can be considered a consequence of the contradictory perception of the conversion of industrial buildings, as it is very difficult to connect with the naturally interrupted continuity of technical and economic development".
    According to the city hall, the area is no longer a compact space today; individual objects have been modified for various uses, which has rather damaged than restored their heritage value. Some objects are still damaged from the flood in 2002. The area covers a large expanse, and if it were to be fully restored as a monument, it would cost the city a lot of money that would be difficult to reclaim.
    For 20 years, Prague rented the area to Delta Center; the contract ended in December, but the company does not respect it. They claim to have already invested hundreds of millions of crowns into the area. They had previously also presented a plan for the complete restoration of the area, but nothing has been realized so far. The city is now closing new contracts directly with individual tenants. Delta Center also disagrees with Prague's claim that it owes the city over 200 million crowns in rent. According to its earlier statement, it intends to defend itself against the city's actions through legal means.
    Last year, Prague stated that one of the objects in the marketplace area could house the new headquarters of the Prague 7 city hall, which has been sought for several years.