Open letter to the mayor of the city of Česká Lípa regarding the demolition of the Uran/Banco department store

Dear Ms. Mgr. Hana Moudrá, Mayor of Česká Lípa
Dear City Council and Representatives of the City of Česká Lípa
City of Česká Lípa
T. G. Masaryk Square 1
470 01 Česká Lípa

Open Letter:

Dear Madam Mayor, esteemed councilors, and representatives of the city of Česká Lípa

We are addressing you with a request for support regarding the cancellation of the decision to remove the building of the shopping center URAN/BANCO. As you surely know, this is an important building representing Czechoslovak architecture of the 1980s, the work of prominent Czech architect and professor at the School of Architecture of the Academy of Art in Prague, Emil Přikryl. The Uran Shopping Center occupies a significant place among the highest quality architecture of its time, as evidenced by numerous contemporary publications both Czech and foreign. Just like the Ještěd department store in Liberec, recently and unfortunately demolished, the Uran department store in Česká Lípa is part of the heritage of modern post-war architecture in this country. A work created within the now world-famous design studio SIAL also has significant importance for the urbanism of the city of Česká Lípa, where it forms an integral part of the regulatory development of the former city walls.
We are convinced that the Uran department store needs to be protected and we protest against its demolition, which is unwarranted. The architectural values of Uran lie in its urban integration into the city’s structure, the scale of the building appropriate to the historical core, the brilliant architectural composition of the individual facades with original ceramic cladding, the cleverly postmodern-tinged geometry of the individual openings and columns at the entrance corners, the constructivist service ramps on the southern facade, and the preserved details of the original stairs.
We are convinced that Uran is in good structural condition and has such a universal spatial solution that it can easily be adapted to a new business idea and sensitively reconstructed while preserving the architectural values of this significant building. We are confident that from your authoritative position, it is possible to negotiate with the owner of the building regarding the reconstruction of Uran with the participation or oversight of the original author, similar to what recently happened in the cases of the Kotva and Máj department stores in Prague. They were successfully and sensitively reconstructed and serve a modern commercial purpose.

Dear Madam Mayor, esteemed councilors, and valued representatives, we ask for your support and initiative in canceling the demolition order for this significant modern building and for a joint responsible approach towards preserving the cultural heritage of your city.

This kindness is requested by the architects listed below:


Ing.arch.MgA. Pavel Nasadil – Vinařská 1136/3, 170 00 Prague 7
Ing.arch.MgA. Jan Horký – Tisová 6, 262 41 Bohutín
Ing.akad.arch. Václav Králíček – Na Výši 10, Prague 5
MgA. Marcela Steinbachová – Jana Masaryka 42, 120 00 Prague 2

MgA. David Kubík – Osadní 41/46, 170 00 Prague 7
Ing.arch.MgA. Martina Kárová – Brandejsova 467, 164 00 Prague 6 - Nebušice
Ing.arch. Milan Valeš – Mladenovova 3230, Prague 4
Michal Šiška – Heřmanova 35, 170 00 Prague 7, misiska@post.cz
MgA. Petr Kocourek – Bednářská 3/1025, 180 00 Prague 8
Ing.arch.MgA. Milena Kubiszová – SKVADRA - Pod Kaštany 177/7, 160 00 Prague 6
Ing.arch. Ondřej Volný – SKVADRA - Pod Kaštany 177/7, 160 00 Prague 6
Ing.arch.MgA Juraj Sonlajtner – Na Souvrati 3, 162 00 Prague 6
MgA. Martin Kožnar – Prácheňská 885, 341 01 Horažďovice
Ing.arch.MgA. Petr Pinkas, Jičínská 29/1616, 130 00 Prague 3
MgA. Ing. arch. Petr Uhlík, K vodojemu 202/5, 150 00 Prague 5
Ing.arch.MgA Petr Tej, Nedbalova 329, 27706 Lužec nad Vltavou
Ing.arch.Mg.A. Ondřej Dušek, Ve Střešovičkách 73/48, 169 00 Prague 6
Mg.A. Marek Kopeč, Čechova 15, 170 00 Prague 7
Ing.arch.MgA. Klára Makovcová, Na Provaznici 2121/10 Prague 5
MgA Ondřej Císler, Bechyňova 7, 160 00 Prague 6
Martina Šaňková, Dubina 38, 28522 Zruč nad Sázavou
Ondřej Synek, Nad Šárkou 56, 160 00 Prague 6
Ing.arch. MgA. Petr Šmídek, Vaňkovo náměstí 6, 602 00 Brno
Ing.arch. MgA. Martin Rusina, Mirovická 1099/23, 182 00 Prague 8
Ing. arch. MgA. Jan Žalský, Chocholouškova 138/4, 180 00 Prague 8
Ing. arch. Marek Přikryl, Předvoje 13, 162 00 Prague 6
Ing. arch. MgA. Jan Novotný, Milady Horákové 86, 170 00 Prague 7
Ing. arch. MgA Alena Korandová, Za Mlýnem 1725, 253 01 Hostivice (Praha-západ)
Ing.arch. Barbora Šimonová, Na skoku 296, Babice nad Svitavou
Akad.arch. Pavel Rydlo, Vrchovinská 940, 549 01 Nové město nad Metují
Soňa Ryndová, Na Výši 10, Prague 150 00 – Secretary of the School of Architecture AVU Prague
Ing. arch. MgA. Osamu Okamura – Editor-in-Chief of ERA 21 magazine, Trhanovské nám. 14, 102 00 Prague 10; okamura@era21.cz

On behalf of the group:

Ing.arch.MgA. Pavel Nasadil – Vinařská 1136/3, 170 00 Prague 7, tel: 242486208, pavelnasadil@famarchitekti.cz

Ing.arch.MgA. Jan Horký – Tisová 6, 262 41 Bohutín, tel: 242486209, janhorky@famarchitekti.cz