Culture Minister: “No money for Kaplický library”

The Czech Culture Minister Václav Jehlička has stated that there is no money to build the controversial new national library designed by Jan Kaplický. He noted that 1.9 billion Czech crowns are available for the building, while Kaplický’s design would cost around four billion crowns. Speaking in an interview on Czech Television, Mr Jehlička stated that he could not approve a project for which there was no money. Critics have noted that the delays in building the library have themselves increased the potential costs. The comments by the Culture Minister represent another blow for the prospects of the controversial “blob” as it has been nicknamed, ever being built.