<p>A petition was created to save the train station in Ústí nad Orlicí</p>

Ústí nad Orlicí - A petition has been created to save the railway station building in Ústí nad Orlicí. The neoclassical building, which is approximately 130 years old, is set to be demolished next year to allow for the straightening of the railway corridor. To date, around 260 people have opposed the demolition. Martin Kadrman from Červená Voda in the Orlickoústeck area, the petition's initiator, said this today to ČTK.
    "I launched the petition website www.stop-demolici.wz.cz on Wednesday, and within a few hours there were over two hundred signatures there," Kadrman said.
    The straightening of the railway corridor, which will come closer to the Tichá Orlice, will speed up train connections, and the new building will meet current requirements, including barrier-free access, said Petr Halla, spokesperson for the investor, the Railway Infrastructure Administration. At the same time, he did not rule out that the builder would consider the petition. "We do not yet have a building permit, and it is possible that the petition will be taken into account," he told ČTK.
    It was possible to save the building by declaring it a cultural monument, but Kadrman's request did not reach the Ministry of Culture in time. The regional office, preservationists, the Orlickoústeck town hall, and the Research Center for Industrial Heritage at the Czech Technical University responded positively. Conversely, Czech Railways and the Railway Infrastructure Administration argued for public interest. Therefore, the ministry decided in their favor.
    "The Ministry of Culture is well aware of the significance of the industrial heritage of the Czech Republic, but it believes that a proposal for the declaration of this specific object should have been submitted by a professional organization before the start of the long-planned and prepared action," stated Petra Ulbrichová, head of the heritage protection department, in a written statement available to ČTK.
    Kadrman disagrees with the outcome and has sent a letter to the Minister of Culture, Václav Jehlička. "In modern European society of the 21st century, it is not acceptable to behave so barbarically towards the legacy of our ancestors," Kadrman believes.
    Mayor Richard Pešek supports the petition but doubts its success. The building, after all, is situated between railway tracks, and there will undoubtedly be no funds for its transfer or the construction of a replica, he stated.
    The station building, designed by architect Rudolf Frey in 1874, is in the shape of an H and has been preserved in its original form to this day. The company plans to start construction in November 2009, with completion approximately in June 2013. However, the new design of the station was not favored by the commission of architects who were allowed to view the projects. The Railway Infrastructure Administration will present the project publicly at a later date.
    "The project looked like when a Penny Market drives into a Tesco. We at least managed to negotiate more glazing and a wavy roof. We are the gateway to the Orlické Mountains, and the building should reflect that," said Mayor Pešek to ČTK.