Civil Association for the Preservation of the Žižkov Freight Station

To preserve the historical buildings of the freight station, a civic association called "This is not a developer's" was established in Prague 3 www.tadynenideveloperovo.cz, which aims to protect and revitalize the cultural heritage of Prague 3 and safeguard monuments and cultural values.

The civic association This is not a developer's plans to hold an exhibition of selected conceptual designs that were developed between 1990 and 2010 for the use of the 32-hectare area and buildings of the former Žižkov Freight Station by the end of March.

We hereby request those who have dealt with the issue of the conversion and new use of this site and the surrounding areas, whether through student projects at architecture schools or otherwise, to lend these proposals for the exhibition. Contact for exhibition coordinator - Dan Merta, director of the Jaroslav Fragner Gallery, email: gjf@gjf.cz. Subject of emails: NNŽ-exhibition. The expected date of the exhibition is the end of March 2011.

The Ministry of Culture has declared the complex of buildings at the Žižkov Freight Station by architect Vladimír Weiss to be a cultural monument. It thus recognized the undeniable architectural and historical value of this industrial building from 1934-37, which has no equivalent in the Czech Republic. The building is in good technical condition and its spaces are suitable for various uses (cultural, commercial, exhibition, etc.). However, the company Žižkov Station Development a.s., founded in 2007 by České dráhy and Sekyra Group, a.s. for the purpose of new "use" of most of the area of the former Žižkov Freight Station, has filed an appeal against the decision.

The decision of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic has not yet taken legal effect. The appeal commission appointed by the Minister of Culture to assess the legal aspects of the declaration of the cultural monument has not yet convened. In April 2011, the Minister of Culture is expected to decide whether to confirm the Žižkov Freight Station as a cultural monument.

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