President's Office and Church agree on joint administration of St Vitus's cathedral

Representatives for the Office of the President and the Metropolitan chapter of the Catholic Church have reached an agreement on the joint-administration of Prague's landmark St Vitus's Cathedral. Following several weeks of negotiations, both sides have agreed that the Church will transfer St Vitus's back to the state on April 16th. The decision follows the Supreme Court's recent ruling returning the cathedral and related property to Prague Castle, the latest chapter in a long drawn-out legal battle. On Friday, spokesman for the President's Office Jiri Weigl indicated that while the state retained ownership for now, both sides agreed on the Church handling day-to-day administration of the site, namely overseeing the cathedral's interior.

As of April 5th visitors will not be required to pay an entrance fee to view the main site.

Author: Jan Velinger