NPÚ wants to negotiate with the magistrate on the preservation of valuable parts of Štvanice

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) will today send a proposal to the Prague City Hall to initiate administrative proceedings on the further steps regarding the demolition of the winter stadium in Štvanice. Ondřej Ševců from the Prague NPÚ office told ČTK that the heritage protectors want to try to save valuable parts of the stadium's structure, as well as valuable parts of the stands, seats, and changing rooms. The statement from the City Hall is being clarified by ČTK.
The need to demolish the stadium was decided by the construction office of Prague 7 on Friday. Demolition of the stadium, which has been a cultural monument since 2000, began on Saturday. Heritage protectors disagree with the demolition. Already on Monday, they called for it to be halted in a press release. However, Prague refuses, stating that it is not possible to repair the building.
"By submitting a proposal for administrative proceedings, we want either to stop the demolition work or to clarify the demolition procedure to avoid the irreversible destruction of valuable parts of the structure," said Ševců. The team of heritage protectors will go to the site on Friday to create an inventory of valuable items. Some items are supposedly possible to save and restore, while others could at least have replicas created.
City councilor Aleksandra Udženija (ODS) reiterated today to ČTK that the City Hall will negotiate with the company Meridianspa, which wanted to build a spa on the site of the stadium, about terminating the contract. According to her, the stadium will be restored in Štvanice. Additionally, the city will build a hockey hall of fame. The council will discuss the issue at an extraordinary meeting on Friday.
The city and the company signed the contract over ten years ago. Based on it, Meridianspa was to renovate the island and build a sports and relaxation center with a swimming pool and spa. While the part of the island with tennis courts has already been taken over by the company, the winter stadium is still managed by the City Hall.
The stadium in Štvanice was built between 1930 and 1932 according to the design of architect Josef Fuchs as the first artificial skating rink in the country. In 2002, it was affected by floods and gradually fell into disrepair. Water leaked into the wooden walls and stands, and the structure was affected by rot. Due to its poor technical condition, it was closed since January. According to evaluations commissioned by the City Hall, there was a risk of its collapse.
Several generations of hockey players and figure skaters grew up at the stadium, including the famous figure skater Ája Vrzáňová who trained here. A criminal complaint has also been filed regarding the demolition. Štvanice has hosted four ice hockey world championships, in 1933, 1938, 1947, and 1959. According to heritage protectors, the structure of the stadium represents a remarkable technical monument and stands as evidence of early sports construction from the interwar period.