For Kyselka, only KMV received a fine, while C.T.S. has not yet faced sanctions.

Photo: Lukáš Podhorský

Karlovy Vary - The company C.T.S. Duo, which owns most of the buildings in the dilapidated area of the former Kyselka spa, has so far avoided a possible sanction from the heritage care department of the Karlovy Vary magistrate. This department has already imposed a fine of 1.8 million crowns on the Karlovy Vary Mineral Waters (KMV) company for insufficient care of the heritage buildings Villa Stallburg, Löschner's spring, and the former Hotel Prague. City spokesman Jan Kopál said today that there is no sanction proceedings against C.T.S. Duo.
Despite the fact that C.T.S. Duo, like KMV, has often been criticized for allowing the deterioration of the buildings, according to Kopál, heritage conservationists initiated proceedings with C.T.S. in December regarding the provisional covering of Ott's spring. "So far, the company is meeting all the requirements, and we are waiting for further work to be carried out," noted Kopál. The mayor's deputy Jiří Klsák (KOA) said today that the sanction against KMV was beyond the competence of local government and he is not yet familiar with the details.
The report of the sanction for KMV surprised the chairman of the board of C.T.S. Duo, Petr Dostál. He said today to ČTK that he doesn't quite understand it. According to him, a joint project is underway to save at least some of the buildings in Kyselka, and the proposal has already been made available to all relevant institutions, including the heritage conservationists. "We are trying to do everything we can to preserve at least the most valuable in Kyselka. So I do not understand why a sanction is suddenly imposed during some process," said Dostál.
KMV does not deny that they own the three buildings for which they were fined. Company spokesperson Bibiana Beňová told ČTK today that KMV does not agree with the justification for the sanction. "We are being blamed for disturbing the urban value of the Kyselka spa area, although KMV owns only seven of about two dozen buildings. We cannot bear responsibility for the change in the landscape and urban value of the entire complex," stated Beňová.
KMV rejects the sanction and will appeal against it to the Regional Authority of the Karlovy Vary Region, said KMV General Director Alessandro Pasquale. According to him, there were procedural errors in the administrative proceedings that preceded the sanction decision, and the decision of the heritage conservationists allegedly contains factual shortcomings. "If necessary, KMV will also defend itself with an administrative lawsuit. The administrative proceedings are being conducted tendentiously with the intention of imposing an exemplary fine," Pasquale stated.
Last autumn, KMV presented a project with the company C.T.S. Duo, which owns most of the buildings in Kyselka, for the partial rescue of the former spa. From about two dozen protected heritage buildings, the current owners want to save approximately four to five buildings for about 400 million crowns. The project is prepared as a conceptual study that considers new uses for each of the restored historical buildings. All relevant institutions have already been provided with the study for their comments.
The dominant structure of the spa area is the Ott's spring pavilion, built according to the design of Vienna architect Karl Häybeck. Another valuable building is the Mattoni villa, built between 1885 and 1886 on the site of an older noble residence. The spa has suffered from the consequences of privatization in the 1990s. It changed ownership several times and the buildings were not maintained. Pasquale previously stated that KMV has the support of the Ministry of Culture for financing the restoration of some heritage buildings.