Owners of the pillbox in Vratěnín face a fine

Vratěnín - The owner of the border fortress in Vratěnín, Znojmo region, which was modified by a student from the Brno University of Technology as part of an artistic project, faces a fine. The building authority in Vranov nad Dyjí has determined that this constitutes a violation of the building law. This is stated in today's edition of the daily Mladá fronta Dnes.

Marie Mynaříková, head of the building authority in Vranov, under which Vratěnín falls, said that the office assessed it as an unauthorized intervention in a registered building, thus it is considered an offense. However, it is still unclear what penalty the office will choose and whether it will take any action at all. The office has 30 days by law to make a decision, but given the on-site investigation, the deadline may be extended.

The owner of the "řopík," Jaroslav Zelinka, told the newspaper that the office is acting under media pressure. "I could find plenty of examples where people enlarged their cottages, modified garages or pools in their gardens without building permits, and nothing happens," Zelinka stated.

Student Ondřej Bělica cut a part of the concrete bunker with a diamond wire about a month ago and opened a view from the inside to the landscape. The act triggered many dissenting reactions on social media and drew the attention of the media and local people to the bunker. Bělica was supported by the Brno University of Technology, where he studies at the faculties of architecture and fine arts. According to the school's statement, it may be an unusual act in the eyes of the public, but it does not go against the values of Czech history.