Ombudsman: The conservationists failed to protect the spa in Kyselka

Brno - Conservationists have completely failed in protecting the spa and the area of the Mattoni factory in Kyselka in the Karlovy Vary region, which are in a deplorable condition. Today, the ombudsman Otakar Motejl informed ČTK about this. The complex from the 19th century is unique due to its architecture. However, it has not been preserved from devastation.
    The buildings in Kyselka are, according to Motejl, "a sad testament to how heritage-protected structures can end up when the inaction of the owner is accompanied by the inaction of the state and its authorities."
    Since the 1990s, the former Karlovy Vary district office, now the magistrate, the regional authority in Karlovy Vary, and the Ministry of Culture have been unable to ensure proper maintenance and repair of the dilapidated heritage-protected buildings, the ombudsman states in his report on the case. Some time ago, he began to address the condition of the area in Kyselka in order to determine who bears responsibility for its devastation.
    The ombudsman emphasized that state authorities are not only obliged to monitor the condition of heritage sites, but if they find that the owners do not take proper care of them, they must take care of them themselves. According to the Act on State Heritage Care, they must ensure all necessary measures for the protection of the heritage site. Subsequently, the state can require the property owner to reimburse all expenses.
    However, in the case of the spa in Kyselka, this has not happened, even though the buildings are in a state of emergency. The National Heritage Institute has included them on the list of the most endangered monuments in the Czech Republic.
    The ombudsman requested opinions on the matter from the Karlovy Vary magistrate and the Ministry of Culture. "Both responses revealed that the relevant state authorities silently tolerated the decay of the cultural monument," Motejl stated. The approach that state authorities chose throughout the case cannot be accepted according to him.
    The Ministry of Culture should now, according to Motejl, think as quickly as possible about how to deal with the spa in Kyselka. If it finds that the buildings can still be regarded as monuments considering their condition, it is necessary to speedily prevent their deterioration.
    The spa buildings in Kyselka have compromised structural integrity, damaged roofs, and external plastering. The condition of the properties continues to deteriorate. The costs necessary for the repair of the area are estimated at one billion crowns.