MK provisionally declared the Napajedla Stud Farm a monument, stated the creator of the petition

Prague/Zlín - The Ministry of Culture has issued a non-final decision stating that the historic buildings of the Napajedla Stud in Zlín are a cultural monument. This was reported by Aleš Martínek, the author of the petition to save the stud, on the petition website. The Ministry informed ČTK that it has issued the decision and that the deadline for an appeal against the decision is currently running, thus it will not comment on the matter. The owners of the stud, the company Sygnum, do not wish to comment on the Ministry's decision for the time being. At the beginning of last year, they ceased horse breeding for economic reasons. This is the oldest domestic breeding of Thoroughbreds, with the stud established in 1886.

"I inform you that based on the decision of the Ministry of Culture, the complex of historic buildings of the Napajedla Stud has been declared a cultural monument. This decision is not yet final," Martínek stated. He added that the decision does not include the adjacent pastures, but only the buildings.

The spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, Ivana Awwadová, stated that the Ministry has issued a decision which the legal representatives of the participants in the proceedings received on Monday. "The deadline for filing an appeal (against the decision) is currently running. Since the decision is not final, the Ministry of Culture will not comment on the matter," she said.

If someone files an appeal, the appeal committee will create a proposal and subsequently, the Minister of Culture will decide the matter.

The stud is owned by the Otrokovice-based company Sygnum. "We will not comment on the Ministry of Culture's decision until we thoroughly study its conclusions," said the company's media representative Pavla Mudrochová today. Earlier this January, the owners updated the stud's website, stating that they had subsidized its operation with tens of millions of crowns for 18 years, but last spring they had to cease the breeding of Thoroughbreds. According to them, the operation of the stud is economically unsustainable, and without public support, breeding racehorses is not possible.

The owners have sought to change the zoning plan to build apartment buildings on part of the pastures. Profit from rents was to be used for the operation of the stud, according to their earlier statements, but the zoning change did not pass through the city council.

A petition to save the stud was created, signed by over 40,000 people. In addition to preserving the stud, it also demanded that the stud be declared a cultural monument. The owners of the stud previously stated that if the complex is declared a cultural monument, the possibilities for its further use would be very limited.

Supporters of the stud were present at a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies in March. "We are talking about preserving the immense heritage of our ancestors," Martínek stated in the Chamber on behalf of the petitioners. At the public hearing, the director of the Pardubice Racing Club, Jaroslav Müller, mentioned that the end of the Napajedla Stud would affect the entire racing operation in the Czech Republic. Similarly, Jiří Charvát, president of the Jockey Club, expressed his concern, stating, "Without the Napajedla Stud, one cannot imagine Czech breeding... Without Czech breeding, horse racing will not function," he said in March.