Experts are concerned about the reconstruction of St. Michael's Church

Prague - Experts are concerned that the planned reconstruction of the former St. Michael's Church in the Old Town will turn it into a brothel. The historical building has housed a music club for several years, but posters often invite guests to erotic shows as well. The building permit is already prepared at the construction department of Prague 1, but it has not yet been issued, said Prague 1 spokesperson Veronika Blažková. The private owner wants to turn the church, which is a cultural monument, into a "shopping gallery" and a "small-type accommodation facility" in the attic.
The use of the church has been debated for years. It stands just a short distance from the Old Town Square and was transferred in 1984 to the National Library (NK) as a dilapidated property, which found no use for it. After Vlastimil Ježek became the director of the NK in 2004, the library sold the building to its controversial tenant. He faced criticism from civic associations and some politicians for this, arguing that the tenant allegedly had an unbreakable 35-year lease, which brought the library only hundreds of thousands of crowns annually in rent. Ježek sold the property to the tenant for 46 million crowns.
Members of the former Working Group of the Mayor for the revitalization of the Old Town Square recently addressed an open letter to state and city officials to consider the future use of the church. They state that the remains of significant personalities from the church, university, and city still lie in the church's crypt, and the operation of a striptease cabaret above their graves is contrary not only to Prague's cultural tradition but also to general civilizational traditions.
However, according to Deputy Mayor Václav Novotný (TOP 09), who recently had oversight of culture and heritage in Prague, not much can be done about the church's reconstruction. "The church was sold to a private owner by the state, not the city. There is no dispute that the property is currently being used in an undignified manner. And there is also no dispute that the property was repaired," Novotný said today at a meeting of the committee for culture and heritage care.
Because the property has a private owner, the city cannot interfere with its use. "The city can ask the owner: Are you perhaps not selling that church? That's the only thing we can do. Yes, it’s a mistake, but that’s how it is. Unfortunately, it is a private property now," Novotný told ČTK.
Members of the working group, which ceased operations after the dismissal of former Mayor Bohuslav Svoboda (ODS), are convinced that the church deserves a different use. There are enough suitable works in the deposits of city galleries and museums that could bring a new cultural and commercially successful identity to the baroque temple space. Prague, for example, is still looking for a place for a permanent exhibition of Alphonse Mucha's Slav Epic. The attic with a view of Prague could also house Langweil's model, and concerts of chamber and liturgical music could be held in the church's crypt.
Experts, including Michal Lukeš, the director of the National Museum, architectural historian Zdeněk Lukeš, the director of the National Gallery's Collection of Old Art Vít Vlnas, and Ondřej Šefců, the director of the Prague office of the National Heritage Institute, argue that the state or church should consider reclaiming the church. The city does not have the money for the purchase, Novotný told ČTK today, who wants to present the case of St. Michael's Church to the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO for the historic center of Prague. This committee is an advisory body of the council of the capital city.