Prague 6 does not intend to buy the villa in Petřiny, which is threatened with demolition

Prague - Prague 6 does not intend to buy the functionalist villa in Petřiny, which is set to be demolished. The spokesperson for the town hall, Martin Churavý, said this in response to a query from ČTK. He reacted to the owner's appeal, who urged the town hall during last week's council meeting to purchase the villa for 85 million crowns. According to media reports, it was previously acquired for 23 million.

The local building authority has issued a demolition permit for the villa, and a new construction is planned for the site. Local residents have drafted a petition in protest. Experts also disagree. According to Jiří Skalický, head of Prague's heritage authorities, the villa has significant architectural value and its preservation would be desirable. However, the building is not located in a conservation area and is not declared a cultural monument, so objections to its demolition cannot be lodged under the heritage protection law.

"We have not yet received an official offer from the investor. The town hall is not a real estate agency and should not establish an undesirable precedent with such behavior," the spokesperson for the town hall responded. "However, we are willing to provide appropriate cooperation in promoting the offer to purchase the villa through the town hall's communication channels," he added.

The apartment villa designed by architect Pavel Simonov is located at Na Petřinách 1482/7. The functionalist building is set to be replaced by a four-story new construction. Last year, Prague 6 permitted the demolition of parts of two functionalist villas in Baba known as Čeňkova and Košťálova villa. In the past, two villas also fell in the old Střešovice and Ořechovka. One of them belonged to the famous fashion designer Blanka Matragi. The original villa, which stood in a conservation area, was demolished without permission by Matragi Design in December 2013. The company was allowed only to renovate the house. For this, it received a fine of 150,000 crowns from the town hall, which was eventually revoked by the magistrate.