Prague, Nov 30 (CTK) – The Czech state has returned to the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodos and of Malta some land in Prague-Brezineves, including plots on which the self-rule authority wants to build a school, the State Land Authority (SPU) said in a press release Monday.
However, the authority refused to return further land in the community because it is either built-up or the construction of the Prague road ring is to be built on it. The land is owned by the capital of Prague and therefore, it cannot be returned under law.
The order has filed a complaint, demanding that the land be transferred to the state that could return it.
The real estate was confiscated from the order by a decision of February 24, 1948, while the period decisive for the return of confiscated property starts to run on February 25, 1948, when the communists seized power in former Czechoslovakia.
However, the SPU says the confiscation decision became effective on March 5, 1948, only, that is after February 25, 1948.
The Brezineves town hall wanted to build a school and a kindergarten on the returned land and it wants to negotiate with the order about its purchase.
“But we do not know how much the order will want for the land,” Brezienves mayor Jiri Haramula (ANO) told CTK.
The Maltese Order has applied for the return of 180 hectares of land in Brezineves and in Prague-Dablice.
“The State Land Authority has made a decision on 126 hectares. It has halted the proceedings for 24 hectares and has not returned the land because it is owned by individuals and legal entities,” Ivana Prochazkova, from the authority, said.
Under the law on state-church property settlement, Czech churches are to be returned land and real estate worth 75 billion crowns that had been confiscated from them by the communist regime.
In addition, they are to be given 59 billion crowns plus inflation in financial compensation for unreturned property during the following 30 years. Most of the property will go to the Roman Catholic church.
