In Pilsen, there will be a demonstration for the rescue of the former spa

Plzeň - Young people from Plzeň want to demonstrate on September 23 for the preservation of the dilapidating municipal spa in the city center. They are demanding urgent repairs to the partially protected building, which has been closed for nearly 20 years and is marring the center of the city. The demonstration is scheduled from 14:00 to 23:00 at Denisovo nábřeží. Martin Marek, spokesperson for the event, also speaks out against the demolition of the nearby cultural house, where a shopping center worth 2.5 billion Kč is set to be built.
     The First Republic spa, a landmark along the Radbuza river, was intended by its Italian owner to be converted into apartments and a wellness center for half a billion Kč; the building permit had already been issued. However, his company went bankrupt, and the spa is now being offered for 150 million Kč, Marek said. According to him, the price is unrealistic, and there is a danger that the spa will continue to deteriorate. Currently, the demolition of the boiler house behind the spa, which is not protected as a monument, is being planned. "Money needs to be put into maintenance of the spa itself, where rainwater is leaking in, so that it doesn't fall apart completely," he added.
     A basic reconstruction of the building would require 200 million Kč. According to Petr Marovič, head of the monument preservation department of the city council, the building cannot simply collapse. "The building is a reinforced concrete skeleton bound by a concrete structure; it is deteriorating only due to lack of maintenance," he added. The building is being used by homeless people who have ripped out various metal parts.
     According to Marek and another 20 young initiators of the demonstration, the city should step in to save the spa. They understand that it does not have 150 million Kč, but it should at least initiate talks with the owner. The space could be utilized without significant investments, for example, for non-profit organizations.
     "At the end of the event on September 23, there will be a candlelight march around the spa and along the riverbank," Marek stated. The event will be complemented by lectures from preservationists, architects, historians, and concerts by bands. Demonstrators also intend to point out the company Amádeus Plzeň, which owned the spa for many years and during which time it deteriorated. The company is now the investor of the Corso Americká shopping gallery, which is to be built on the site of the current cultural house in the city center. About 9,000 signatures were collected in a petition against its demolition.
     According to Marek, the same people are behind both protests, who care about public space in Plzeň. The Culture(k) movement aims to prevent the demolition of the cultural house at the last minute. They wanted to present their steps before the demonstration for the spa and use it "in the fight for the cultural center." "We need to push this back by a week. I won't reveal the details; the element of surprise will be important. Besides the planned event, it is possible to prevent the construction in the ongoing EIA process," Marek said.
     When the spa opened in 1932, according to architect Jan Soukup, it was the most modern spa in the republic. It was privatized 17 years ago to a private individual who went bankrupt. Nine years ago, it was bought by Amádeus Real for ten million Kč and in 2006 it was offered to Plzeň for 28 million Kč. Four years ago, the building was purchased by an Italian investor.