The Schlaraffia Castle in Jablonec will not become a cultural monument

"In practical terms, this means that the review process will no longer take place (it will be halted) and the original decision of the ministry not to declare the chateau a cultural monument will remain in effect," the spokesperson stated. Although officials at the ministry made this decision back in 2014, then-Minister of Culture Daniel Herman (KDU-ČSL) annulled their verdict and returned it for further investigation. However, based on a lawsuit, the Municipal Court in Prague addressed the minister's decision since 2015, and this year a final verdict was issued.

During the course of the trial, the chateau was under preliminary monument protection and could not be demolished. Its future is uncertain. A demolition order has been issued for the building, which is currently suspended. The run-down residence of the society stands on the premises of the Jablonec company Malina-Safety. The company wanted to demolish the building because it has no use for it and it hinders its development. Based on a petition signed by over 3,000 people in 2013, the company offered the building for one koruna four years ago to anyone who would relocate it elsewhere. The chateau was purchased by Royal Castle development. The company's managing director, Natalija Makovniková, told CTK last November that they intend to dismantle the devastated building stone by stone, rebuild it at another location in the city, and make it accessible to tourists. CTK was unable to obtain current statements from Makovniková today; her phone was unavailable and she did not respond to emails.

The chateau near the Jablonec bus station was built in 1909 in a historicizing style for the Schlaraffia society. It is the only preserved architectural monument of this society, which was established in 1859 in Prague. It was a sort of English club of "couch potatoes" in Czech conditions. The core values upheld by this gentlemen's organization were friendship, art, and humor. It gathered personalities who advocated for the realization of generally beneficial projects and also financially supported them.