The Hradec Králové City Council will decide on the demolition of the Černigov Hotel

Prague/Hradec Králové - The developer group CPI of Radovan Vítek has requested permission to demolish the Černigov hotel on Riegrovo Square in Hradec Králové, according to Czech Television. The panel hotel from the 1970s is the tallest building in the city; the investor wants to replace it in a few years with a hotel with a smaller accommodation capacity and a congress center. The plans also include offices and smaller retail spaces on the ground floor, Czech Television reported today.
    In Hradec Králové, a lively debate is expected due to the plan, as Černigov constitutes a significant dominant feature of the city from many perspectives. Furthermore, it is located in close proximity to a landmark - Hradec Králové's main train station.
    The demolition of this modern landmark in Hradec Králové is requested by the owner of the Černigov hotel, the company Balvinder from the CPI group of Radovan Vítek. According to the spokeswoman for the Hradec Králové magistrate, Magdaléna Vlčková, the city is now conducting a procedure for the permission to remove the building. The investor is already selecting from six studies. The building is not a monument and is located outside the protected zone. According to the office, there is nothing preventing the demolition permit.
    The main architect of Hradec Králové, Petr Brůna, is sad about the plans to demolish the Černigov hotel. "For my generation, it is part of our lives; it is part of the identity of the city of Hradec Králové. It is appropriate to discuss whether the hotel will be replaced with higher quality," he said to Czech Television.
    A similar fate that may await Černigov befell the Praha hotel in the capital city this year. It was also built in the late 1970s. Until November 1989, it served the needs of the Communist Party and the Czechoslovak government. Many perceived it as a symbol of the pre-November era. Opinions from both lay and professional public on the hotel’s demolition varied. The owner of the building, the PPF group, pointed out that the structure is oversized and uneconomical.
    The Praha hotel complex was acquired by the PPF group last year. The demolition was permitted by the building office of Prague 6. Demolition began in January. The hotel disappeared within a few months. There was a park on the site until the 1970s.