Building authority approves destruction of historic Prague villa for secret investor

A historic villa in Prague's cultural heritage zone on Petřín hill has been approved for demolition by the Building Authority, despite the objections of the Prague 5 local government and the National Heritage Institute. According to Czech daily Deník N, a large house is slated to be built there instead for a secret investor, hidden behind a tangle of sixteen offshore companies based in Cyprus.

Residents from the local neighbourhood in Smíchov have started a petition against the destruction of the villa, which used to be the home of Czechoslovak politician Josef Schieszl, a close associate of T. G. Masaryk.