The owners of the former Intercontinental hotel had asbestos disposed of.

Prague - The owners of the former Intercontinental Hotel in the center of Prague have had the asbestos removed from the building, part of which they plan to demolish. This was reported today by Prague hygienists and the municipal district of Prague 1, which administers the adjacent Curieových Square Primary School. According to the hygiene station, the removal was conducted properly and in accordance with all legal standards. The leadership of Prague 1's actions regarding the leasing of the school playground for construction purposes had previously been criticized by the opposition in the council.

Health-hazardous asbestos was previously widely used in construction as a fireproof material. According to hygienists, it was found in the air conditioning system in a smaller part of the hotel building in the courtyard. "In this matter, all legal requirements and obligations have been met from the perspective of the Hygiene Station of the Capital City of Prague (HSHMP)," stated the hygienists. Asbestos remediation has already been completed in the main hotel building.

The work took place on Thursday and Friday without the presence of the primary school students, who were on field trips. The removal was carried out by the company EKOLSAN, and among others, it was monitored by court expert Zoja Guschlová, who stated that everything was also in order. "The internal environment of the classrooms was demonstrably healthy throughout the ongoing asbestos remediation," she stated.

The hotel is owned through the family fund R2G by billionaires Oldřich Šlemr, Eduard Kučera, and Pavel Baudiš, and its overall reconstruction is being conducted by the company Metrostav. Demolition work will now continue on part of the building with the temporarily closed school playground, followed by the reconstruction of the building and courtyard, with only a small portion of the playground being occupied. According to earlier information from the hygienists, there was no asbestos in the part of the building intended for demolition. It was only found in the part that the owners do not plan to demolish.

The leasing of the school playground for construction work had previously been criticized by representatives of the opposition group Praha 1 Sobě, who claimed that the city hall did not adequately inform the public about the plan. Some parents of children attending the primary school were also opposed to the occupation, arguing that it would be appropriate to wait for the summer holidays before the demolition. The school's principal, Tereza Martínková, stated on the contrary that from her perspective, it is essential for the work to be completed as quickly as possible.

The Intercontinental Hotel was built in brutalist style on Pařížská Street between 1968 and 1974 in collaboration with three architectural collectives led by Karel Filsak. After the reconstruction, it will be operated by the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts chain, which is part of the Accor network, under the name Golden Prague Hotel (hotel Zlatá Praha).