The owner of the Vyšehrad train station has not paid the fines according to the city council

Prague - The company RailCity Vyšehrad, which owns the unused Vyšehrad train station, has paid only one of the five imposed fines. This was stated today by the Prague city hall in a press release. According to the city's statement, the building is in poor condition, and the city hall will take the first step towards possible expropriation by sending a letter to the Ministry of Culture. Unknown perpetrators dismantled part of the roof of the building some time ago; city representatives previously claimed that it had collapsed. The owner previously rejected the criticism, and the Czech News Agency is seeking his current statement.

The city hall stated in the press release that the heritage department has repeatedly fined the company for not allowing access to the premises. However, the owner has, according to the city, only paid the first fine of just under two million crowns. The building of the former train station has been a cultural monument since 2000.

"On behalf of the City of Prague, we are sending a letter to the Ministry of Culture to inquire whether an agreement has been reached with the owner regarding the sale of the train station building to the state. If the state confirms this, there should be nothing preventing the commencement of the expropriation process, which we are prepared to initiate from the position of the city," said Deputy Mayor Petr Hlaváček (for TOP 09). He added that this will be discussed further. Expropriation is allowed by the heritage law, provided that the owner has not been taking care of the monument for a long time. However, this option has not been utilized by anyone in the country so far.

In mid-October, the city hall and the municipal district of Prague 2 stated that the roof of the building had begun to sag, and considering the owner's access, the city district plans to repair it with the city’s contribution and reclaim the costs from the owner. The RailCity Vyšehrad company responded this week with a statement that unknown perpetrators damaged the roof after illegally entering the building. The city hall confirmed this today. The company further stated that the representatives' comments on the possibility of expropriation "balance on the edge of the law" and that they will repair the roof at their own expense. They claim to be investing substantial money into the building to prevent its condition from deteriorating further while seeking an investor for their planned project.

The city hall has negotiated with the owner about a possible purchase; however, according to earlier statements from councilor Jan Chabr (TOP 09), the company demanded a price exceeding the city's estimated value. According to earlier statements, the owner wanted 117 million crowns, while the city hall, based on the appraisal, could only offer 67 million. The company stated this week that they are working with their own assessments and are waiting for a statement from the city hall.

If the property is acquired by the city of Prague, the Slav Epic by Alfons Mucha could be placed there after reconstruction. Prague 2 is also interested in this. The train station is among the seven locations currently being considered by the city for the placement of the cycle.

The building was constructed between 1904 and 1905, and train station operations were halted around 1960. The property, which was declared a cultural monument in 2000, has been in private hands since 2007. The restoration of the original function is not possible, as modern standards do not allow for a train station to be located in a bend. Instead, the city plans a train stop at Výtoň.