Reconstruction of the Czech embassy in Berlin is expected to cost over half a billion

Berlin - The planned reconstruction of the Czech embassy in Berlin is expected to cost over half a billion crowns, according to information from ČTK. It is scheduled to be completed in 2023. The Czech government is supposed to make a decision about the relevant project by the end of September. The future of the building from the 1970s has been discussed repeatedly in recent years.

The building, located in the very center of Berlin at the prestigious address of Wilhelmstrasse 44, is a typical representative of architectural brutalism, which is a significant hallmark of many projects by the architectural couple Věra and Vladimír Machonin. However, according to diplomats, it no longer meets today's needs. It is both overdimensioned and outdated in several respects.

While during the Cold War, the embassy in the eastern part of Berlin employed between 350 and 500 staff, today there are significantly fewer, and part of the building is therefore empty. People who work there often complain that the building easily heats up to unbearable temperatures in the summer and is difficult to heat in the winter. Moreover, the building still contains asbestos.

For these reasons, the fate of the building has been repeatedly discussed in recent years. Several options were considered, including the possibility of completely demolishing the building and constructing a new embassy on its site, or relocating the embassy to the Tiergarten district of Berlin. In the end, however, the Czech side decided on a major reconstruction.

"Currently, preparations for a comprehensive reconstruction of the embassy are underway," the press department of the Czech Foreign Ministry wrote to ČTK, adding that the government should approve the proposal in September.

According to ČTK, the proposal envisions starting preparations next year. The actual reconstruction is expected to take place between 2021 and 2023. In addition to new offices, the reconstruction will also create an ambassador's residence and apartments for staff, of which there are to be more than 30. The overall appearance of the building is expected to remain unchanged even after the reconstruction.

The comprehensive reconstruction is estimated to cost around 550 million crowns, with an additional over 50 million earmarked for the rental costs of spaces that diplomats and other staff will need during the building's reconstruction. Total costs, including a twenty percent contingency that the proposal accounts for, could rise to about 727 million crowns.

The newspaper Právo reported on Tuesday that the Foreign Ministry intends to raise funds for the reconstruction by selling its properties in the Czech Republic and abroad. "In 2018 alone, these revenues are expected to amount to about 466 million crowns. Over the following years, the ministry anticipates sales of around 500 million crowns,” the paper wrote, citing a document that Foreign Minister Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD) is set to present to the government.