Prague - The Czech cabinet will no longer be able to hold special meetings in Koloděje. Prague Municipal Court yesterday ruled that the baroque chateau, including the land surrounding it, belongs to Vítězslav Kumpera, heir of the pre-1948 owners.
The court upheld a lower court's verdict, according to which the property's confiscation in 1948 was illegal. "The president's [confiscation] decree was abused in this case," said Municipal Court chairman Ladislav Muzikář.
Immediately after the WWII, the Kumperas received a certificate from the local council confirming the family had not collaborated with the Nazis or otherwise acted against Czechoslovakia. Despite that, one of the Beneš Decrees was used to confiscate the property.
Courts reject appeals
The land authority, Pozemkový úřad, in January 2007 decided the chateau is to be transferred back to Kumpera. The state appealed the decision, but the District Court for Prague 9 backed Pozemkový úřad in January this year. Yesterday's ruling gave the restitution case the final go-ahead.
The government may appeal to the Supreme Court, but its chances are limited since the first-instance court and the second-instance court delivered completely unanimous verdicts.
The new owner is now considering what to do with the regained property. "The chateau could host a museum; it could be leased or sold. That is not decided yet," said Kumbera's lawyer Tomáš Chlost. He did not rule out talks on cooperation with the Office of the Government.
Last owner was director of Waltrovka
The chateau was confiscated from Antonín Kumpera, who bought the property before the WWII while he was the director at Waltrovka, a common nickname for engine manufacturer Walter Motors (currently Walter Engines).
After the confiscation in 1948 Kumpera left Czechoslovakia and lived in Brazil for the rest of his life. His grandson Vítězslav filed a restitution claim after November 1989.
The baroque chateau was built in 1710 and remodelled in a romantic spirit a hundred years later. Another reconstruction took place in 1945.
The government has been using Koloděje for some cabinet sessions and other important meetings. The site has seldom opened to the public.
