The villa in Petřiny is no longer a monument; the owner can demolish it

Prague - The Ministry of Culture has lifted the heritage protection of an apartment villa from 1939 located on Na Petřinách street in Prague. Jiří Šalda, the owner of the property, informed ČTK about this today, stating that he wants to demolish the villa and replace it with a new building. The villa is known for having been covered by the owner with a black tarp, protesting against the earlier decisions of the heritage officials. Prague 6 allowed Šalda to demolish the villa last year, but a declaration of the building as a cultural monument earlier this February prevented the demolition.

"I appreciate that the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic has not succumbed to the pressure from certain parts of the public or some media, including public service broadcasters. In the appeals process, expertise took precedence over emotions," said Šalda. According to him, the ministry decided to lift the heritage protection of the villa on June 1. Ministry spokesperson Simona Cigánková stated that the owner waived the right to appeal the office's decision, making it legally binding. The municipal authorities permit the demolition.

The Ministry of Culture declared the villa a cultural monument at the suggestion of Prague 6 councilor Antonín Nechvátal from the Green Party. Previously, the house was not protected as a monument. Local residents who opposed the demolition urged politicians to save the villa from destruction. The matter was then reviewed by the ministry's appeals commission, which proposed to lift the villa's heritage protection. According to Minister of Culture Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL), the declaration of the building as a monument represented "an arbitrary and capricious approach by the heritage care authorities," cited by the media representative of the owner, Michal Donath.

The owner covered the villa with a black tarp last November, reportedly to protest the actions of the authorities, where one authorized the removal of the house while another, according to him, tried to declare it a monument, thus limiting his property rights. According to some sources, the apartment villa on Na Petřinách street is attributed to architect Pavel Simonov. "In the building permit, the architect Václav Všetička is listed as the author and assigned builder," Donath had previously stated.