The demolition of the glass hell has begun. The biggest black building in Pilsen is coming down

On Tuesday morning, a giant digger bit into the seven-story monstrosity. “It is designed specifically for demolition and weighs sixty tons,” Karel Lenc, construction manager of APB Plzeň, told Novinkám.

“Using the grab, we will gradually dismantle the structure and sort the material, roughly fifteen hundred cubic meters, according to whether it is destined for landfill or after recycling for further use,” explained Lenc. “The building should be razed to the ground by the twenty-fifth of May. We do not expect that any problems could arise,” he stated.

In the previous weeks, demolition crews removed and hauled away hazardous materials such as asbestos from the building. “There were three tons of them, now the building is free of all burdens,” said Lenc, adding: “We have already completed larger demolitions, such as sugar factories.”

The glass hell will soon lead to the devil. The demolition of the largest black structure in Pilsen will begin

Homemade

According to Ivan Hlaváček, CEO of InterCora, which will build a shopping center on the site of Carimex, the demolition work will cost around ten million crowns. Later, other buildings in the three-hectare site between Rokycanská, Jateční and Těšínská streets will also go down. Only the gas station will remain in the area bordered by the Úslava River.

Pilsen mayor Roman Zarzycký (ANO) did not miss the start of demolition work: “I am very happy about it.” The nineties, which this building symbolized, are coming to an end.”

The complex – originally it was supposed to be a car showroom – was started to be built by a private owner in 1997, but it was never approved and opened. The reason is simple: the investor only had a building permit for a small part of the building, the rest was built in the black. The carousel of lawsuits was stopped only by the current owners, who bought the building – already completely vacated by the homeless – and agreed with the city to demolish it, for which the city hall will sell them about a hectare of municipal land in question.

“The city council should discuss it in June,” said the mayor. Two years ago, when the deputies approved the original memorandum, the estimated price was 5,300 per square meter. The current estimate is higher. “For civic amenities, the price has risen by approximately one hundred crowns per meter, for areas for residential construction it is roughly double. We have an agreement with the investor,” informed Zarzycký. Hlaváček confirmed: “The increase is not that big. We understand him.’

InterCora has a building permit for a commercial zone before it is issued. “We assume that the foundation stone will be laid at the end of this summer and will be opened for Christmas next year,” specified Hlaváček.

A multi-functional building should be added later, and another developer, BC Real, should build three apartment buildings on the Úslava embankment.

Tomáš Soukup (ANO), mayor of the affected Pilsen district Doubravka, concluded: “What do I feel today? Satisfaction. It was a long journey. And it’s a new beginning for this place.”