The listed building opposite the Straka Academy will be renovated

photo: irozhlas.cz

Prague – A vacant and dilapidated building on the Edvard Beneš waterfront in Prague opposite the Straka Academy, which houses the government office, is set to undergo an expensive reconstruction. The Ministry of Finance is expected to complete the renovation by 2028 at a cost of approximately one billion crowns, with work set to begin in 2024. The cabinet approved the material today, as indicated by information on the government website.

The architect Josef Piskač's heritage-protected building from 1909, featuring Art Nouveau elements, was constructed as part of the nearby Klárov Institute for the Blind. In the second half of the 20th century, it served as the House of Body Culture, where Prague residents came to swim, exercise, or visit the city's first sauna. Later, it housed the District State Prosecutor's Office for Prague 1 and Prague 7. The facility was taken over by the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Affairs (ÚZSVM) in 2019, which manages it.

In the future, some government officials are expected to move into the building, and part of the space will be used for representation purposes or for holding conferences.

Due to the safety of the Prime Minister and the entire cabinet, the material states that the building cannot be transferred to private ownership. "Any potential alienation of the building may create a risk to the safety of the Straka Academy facility itself, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, and the entire cabinet, given that the Prime Minister has a direct entrance opposite the building to the Straka Academy and that all ministers of the Czech government enter the building through the main entrance. If the building were transferred to a private owner, it would become security-wise uncontrollable," among other things, the material states.

The reconstruction of the building should also free up spaces in the future for officials who are currently in commercial rentals. Plans anticipate that after the reconstruction, the government office building on Vladislavova Street in Prague will be vacated, where financial administration staff could move from commercial leases. "One option for such relocation is the termination of the lease agreement of the General Financial Directorate in the non-state building at Na Pankráci No. 1685, where the rent exceeds 16 million crowns annually," the material states.

The government's plans envisage that employees from the human rights section, the legislative council of the government, the European communication department, the property manager, and ICT will be based in the administrative part of the reconstructed building.

In the reconstructed Art Nouveau hall, a representative space for work meetings or press conferences is expected to be created. According to the design, the halls will be used, for example, for conferences and seminars with foreign participation, which are currently held in commercially rented halls throughout Prague.