The owners of the InterContinental hotel in downtown Prague is accusing a ruling by the Ministry of Culture that the building is a cultural landmark of being intended to hurt its investment. According to Seznam Zpravy, proceedings had been underway for several months by the ministry, when it was announced that the hotel could be added to the list of monuments before the end of the year. The owners, the Czech billionaires Pavel Baudis, Oldrich Slemr and Eduard Kucera, had planned to invest CZK 1 billion into a complete reconstruction of the hotel along with improvements of the public space in front of it. Apparently, the Ministry of Culture’s decision applies not just to the building but to the underground garage that serves it.
