Ministry of Culture has received the building of the Federal Assembly

Prague - The government today approved the free transfer of the building of the former Federal Assembly from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Culture. The object, which is now home to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, is to serve first as a depository for the National Museum (NM) during the planned reconstruction of its historic building. In the future, according to Minister of Culture Martin Štěpánek, it could become a modern part of the museum. There is also consideration of connecting both buildings by a tunnel.
    "This would create a multifunctional exhibition complex," said Štěpánek to journalists after the government meeting. The National Museum expressed interest in the building located in the immediate vicinity of its historic building in Wenceslas Square as early as the early 1990s. The radio will move to a new headquarters, the construction of which began a month ago in Hagibor, Prague 10; completion is expected in two years.
    Whether the building will be used by the National Museum is, however, according to Štěpánek, not yet one hundred percent agreed upon. The minister believes in it, though. "I believe that this is one of the most elegant solutions and also a financially very advantageous one," he stated. According to him, connecting corridors can be built between the two buildings.
    Prime Minister Mirek Topolánek added that depositories, storages, and other workplaces of the National Museum are currently spread across another ten locations in Prague. "This solution is proving to be modern, urbanistically acceptable also concerning the underground connection of both buildings, and is common in other world metropolises," he stated.
    According to the deputy director of the NM, Karel Ksandr, the concept is based on the fact that the historic building would in the future remain an exhibit of Czech history and nature, while the new object would be intended for the presentation of NM's world collections.
    "We would initially use the former building of the Federal Assembly for temporary exhibitions during the reconstruction of the historic NM building and also for the background of professional staff. Since it involves approximately 3,000 square meters of exhibition space, we would like to present the most valuable parts of the collections here. After reconstruction, the new building would serve to present the collections in a global context," Ksandr said today to ČTK. This includes, for example, the Asian collection of the Náprstek Museum or items from the personal property of Mexican Emperor Maximilian. According to Ksandr, the museum currently has several unsuitable depositories.
    The idea of connecting the two buildings in the future is not unrealistic, although he believes that a connecting bridge must be rejected even at its inception. "It should be an underground tunnel, but it must allow for the condition of networks and facilities under the lower part of Vinohradská street. There are two metro lines, there is the 'K' sewer, and other technological distributions," Ksandr added.
    Clearing the historic building in connection with the reconstruction is expected to begin next year and end in 2010. The object will then be handed over to the construction company. Plans expect to open in the years 2014/2015.