Prague, Sept 25 (CTK) – The Czech embassy in Berlin is to be reconstructed for roughly 550 million crowns in 2021-23, the Government Office told CTK, citing a decision of a cabinet meeting that approved the reconstruction project on Monday.
The future of the structure built in the centre of Berlin in the 1970s near the former Checkpoint Charlie was repeatedly discussed in the last few years.
The exterior of the embassy built in the Brutalism style is to remain unchanged.
However, the building is too big and too old for the needs of the Czech diplomacy. In the Cold War era, the embassy had 350 to 500 employees, while now it is roughly one-tenth of the number. Apart from new offices, the large building is to include a seat of the ambassador and more than 30 flats for the embassy’s staff after the reconstruction.
The lease of offices for the diplomats and other staff during the reconstruction is to cost over 50 million crowns.
Including a reserve fund of 20 percent of the estimated total expenditures, the project is to cost up to 727 million crowns.
A demolition of the structure and the construction of a new embassy building or moving the embassy to the Tiergarten district of the city were among the proposals during the discussions about the future of the unsuitable building.
