A monument protected by heritage has disappeared from Vyšehrad without permission

Prague - Prague has one less monument, as a heritage-protected object has disappeared from Vyšehrad without permission. The company that won the tender from Czech Railways last year and purchased the historic train station building at Vyšehrad demolished the former waiting room without the approval of conservationists or the railway authority. The building stood between the tracks and was connected to the main building by an underpass.
    "We wrote to the owner stating that the Vyšehrad train station building is declared a real cultural monument and that it was demolished without our permission," said Ivana Síbrtová from the heritage department of the Prague City Hall to ČTK today. The company TIP Estate did not even request a statement from the railway authority, said Michal Fořt, the deputy of the building section of the authority. Permission was necessary for the removal of the building, according to him. ČTK was unable to obtain the owner's stance.
    "This is a gross violation of the law," Síbrtová stated. The company faces a fine of up to 100,000 crowns. According to Síbrtová, the department plans to initiate proceedings and will seek cooperation from the local council of the second city district where the station is located.
    "I believe that the building did not have to disappear because it is a protected monument. I am very surprised; they should have consulted with the conservationists," said Václav Vondrášek, a representative of the mayor of Prague 2, to ČTK. According to him, it was a condition in the tender that the former waiting room should be moved. "We disagreed with the relocation because we did not like the idea of moving something that has urbanistic value in relation to the main building," added Vondrášek. Even if the company intended only to dismantle and relocate the cottage, it would still need permission, which it did not have, according to Síbrtová.
    Czech Railways do not wish to comment on the destruction of the monument. "We sold this object in a public competition for 42 million crowns. Unfortunately, we can no longer do anything about it," said the spokesperson for the railways, Ondřej Kubala.
    The demolition of the building between the tracks is not the only problem the new owner faces. They illegally cut down bushes and trees on the land next to the station. This was reported today by the Prague Daily. The case is being handled by the Czech Environmental Inspectorate and the environmental department of Prague 2. "They also completely destroyed the sidewalk. Trucks drove on it and plowed up the entire mosaic-tiled sidewalk," Vondrášek stated.
    For the historic building, which is in very poor condition, the railways have been looking for a tenant since the early 1990s. Last year, they announced a tender, and the company TIP Estate made the highest bid. The city council of Prague 2 was also interested in the building, wanting to establish a cultural and community center there.