A new dominant feature at the Peace Monument?
Communities disagree and we as well…
By Miroslav Jandora
Translation by Ondrej Tupy

Recently we have just “accidentally” learned that right in the close vicinity of the Peace Monument, the dominant feature of the Austerlitz battlefield memorial area, a core NATO radar station construction should be started. Already since spring there are the territorial proceedings under way in this matter, too. Especially the practice of representatives of the investor – the Czech Ministry of Defense – is shocking. The radar building is supposed to be 25 meters high and it is expected to be constructed in the current military area in the close proximity of the Peace Monument. It is very unique and strategically important object which certainly would corrupt the overall landscape character of the whole preserved memorial area. The representatives of the investor haven’t informed neither any of the communities, except just two, nor publicly beneficial society The Peace Monument – Austerlitz working on the Austerlitz battlefield and associating 20 surrounding communities. In the past days the planning proceedings were about to be started.

Not less shocking is the statement of the Department for the Preservation of the Cultural and Historical Monuments of the Southern Moravian Region Authority overruling the negative statement of its subordinate body in Austerlitz and claiming that they have no objections against such object and that it wouldn’t harm the Austerlitz battlefield area in any way… Similarly affirmative statement was issued also by the Department of Environment of the Southern Moravian Region Authority although the investor hasn’t submitted the analysis on the object’s influence on the landscape character according to the Act § 114.

The only good news from the well informed sources are that the territorial proceedings are going to be suspended (hopefully) and the representatives of the investor have found a reserve locality (to which we sincerely congratulate them!). We are going to observe the whole case very carefully and inform the public. The territorial proceedings for the object of such importance must be lead in different, open way and not like before the fall of the Iron Curtain. The public has the full right for information. We would like to express our thanks to the communities of Sokolnice and Ujezd u Brna which have faced this intent and demand, as well as we do more information. It is definite that there are more suitable localities in our country for this building. The close proximity of the communities also declines this plan. The electromagnetic smog and other side effects of such powerful device (which are not even fully examined and it is not sure if and how it could affect the health) might cause extensive problems to the inhabitants. We believe that we are going to get more information soon and that we won’t be forced to organize petitions or other forms of pressure to learn about things so obvious for the peaceful coexistence, moreover in preserved monumental area. We also believe that the elected representatives of the Southern Moravian Region Authority will stand up for the change of the statement of the body administered by them when they claim the Austerlitz battlefield one of the most important Southern Moravia’s monuments. Especially Mr. President of the Authority likes to allude to the Austerlitz battlefield and the Peace Monument as one of the region’s top priorities. His presentation and propagation of the Austerlitz battlefield abroad (about which we could unfortunately read so far in the newspaper only and hadn’t an opportunity to see it in the materialized form) use to be often a theme of the press announcements of his office. We expect him to come over to acts instead of words and prove a depth of his interest for the Austerlitz battlefield. The bicentennial of the battle which crucially predetermined the image of the present Europe knocks on the door and the radar building certainly wouldn’t do a good credit to none of us. The Project Austerlitz  2005 was so far financed from the private sources. We believe that Mr. President could help us at least by the intervention in his office. That would be certainly less expensive for him than the abovementioned activities.

Please, send us your comments on this building at Mr. Miroslav Jandora mjandora@austerlitz2005.com (president of the Project Austerlitz 2005 and member of the council of Mohyla míru – Austerlitz o.p.s.). Thank you.

As nobody has bothered himself to provide with a visualization of the future form we offer you couple of pictures of existing buildings and how it might look like at the Peace Monument. Of course we would welcome more comprehensive information from the investor so we could inform the public correctly.

This is how it looks like in the USA…	…in Germany
…in Denmark	…and again in Denmark.
This is how the Peace monument looks like now…	…and how it could look like thanks to the Regional Authority officials.