The station in Havířov will not be a monument, demolition is not currently planned

Prague - The train station in Havířov will not be designated as a cultural monument. The Minister of Culture, Daniel Herman, made this decision in the appeal process. "This does not mean that it must be demolished, but it does not hold the status of a cultural monument," said spokeswoman for the ministry, Simona Cigánková, today. The station, built in a Brussels style, was intended to be demolished by Czech Railways, which planned to construct a transport terminal in its place. However, at the end of last year, the city backed down from the terminal project, which was a joint endeavor between Czech Railways and Havířov.
    The Ministry of Culture (MK) has repeatedly considered the proposal for listing the station as a monument. Last October, it decided that the building would not be a monument. Dozens of people protested against the MK's decision in front of its building, and the National Heritage Institute filed an appeal against the decision. However, the appeal committee recommended that the minister confirm the decision of the MK's heritage department.
    The protest was organized by the architectural group Důl architektury, which has long advocated for the preservation of the station and was the author of the proposal to declare the building a monument. The proposal was supported not only by the National Heritage Institute but also by the Czech Chamber of Architects, which stated that the ministry had been unable to establish principles for the protection of industrial and modern architecture in 25 years.
    The MK repeatedly decided on the building designed by architect Josef Hrejsemnou, which is, according to experts, a unique example of architecture from the Brussels style period, and each time contrary to experts’ opinions.
     Důl architektury first submitted a proposal to the MK for the station to be declared a cultural monument in 2011, when Czech Railways presented the intention to demolish the building. The National Heritage Institute recommended the declaration, but in May 2012, the MK refused to declare the station a monument. The authors of the proposal submitted a request to the MK to start a review procedure. The then Minister Alena Hanáková halted the review process in June 2013, as she was stepping down, and allowed the demolition of the building.
    At that time, she argued, among other things (similar to the termination of the review in the case of the building at the corner of Wenceslas Square and Opletalova Street in Prague), that "there are rights of participants acquired in good faith that outweigh the public interest in the protection of cultural heritage," meaning the concern that owners would want their allegedly already invested money back from the state. In this case, it involved investments from Czech Railways. Similar decisions by the Ministry of Culture have come under criticism for protecting investors more than the country's cultural heritage.
    Last year, the MK assessed a new proposal and rejected it again. In December, the city of Havířov decided to withdraw from the contract for providing European funding intended for co-financing the reconstruction of the space in front of the station, which was part of the terminal project. The station should therefore not be demolished for the time being, even though it will not enjoy heritage protection.
    According to the original plans, the construction, which was to connect rail, bus, and personal transport, was supposed to be completed last year. It was estimated to cost around 200 million crowns, and both project partners could have secured about 118 million crowns in subsidies. Důl architektury welcomed the city's decision and wants to offer the city cooperation on a new project that should include the reconstruction of the station and also look for uses for the building.