The end for Prague's futuristic national library

A judge in Prague yesterday put a definitive end to the futuristic project for a new Czech national library. The business newspaper Hospodářské noviny writes that President Václav Klaus' opposition to the library lies behind the ruling. Klaus had made no secret of his distaste for the proposed building, which the Czechs endearingly called the 'octopus'. "The president is a powerful man. He has stopped a construction project that had won a conventional tendering procedure. And in so doing he has further strained relations between this country and its most famous architect. ... This 'Hussite' who once saw no difference between the Catholic Church and a garden colony, was able to do all of this with a single sentence: 'The octopus looks down arrogantly on St. Vitus Cathedral'. It's no wonder that the head of state meddles in every matter, because there are always enough people to dance to his tune."

» full article (external link, Czech)
More from the press review on the subject » Architecture / Cities, » Czech Republic
All available articles from » Petr Kamberský

» To the complete press review of Friday, December 12, 2008