Order of Malta requires the return of 167 hectares of land in Březiněves in the north of the Czech capital, reports ee24.com citing radio.cz.
The law of restitution gives the right to the religious organizations to apply for the return of their property nationalized after February 25, 1948, when all the power in Czechoslovakia moved to the communist government. However, according to the letter of the law, the Order of Malta is entitled to claim only a quarter of the required land. That's because the property was seized exactly one day before the key date, February 24, 1948.
Despite this, the leader of the Order in the Czech Republic Johannes Lobkowicz believes that the Order has the right to return the land in full and intends to stand his ground to the end. It is not surprising, given that in the past year, the Czech government has allocated 59 billion kroner (€2.3 billion) as a compensation for the nationalization of church lands.
The religious organizations claim the return of 30,000 hectares of agricultural land, 900 buildings, 120 residential units, three monasteries, three castles and hundreds of lakes. Losses will be fully compensated by 2030.
Since January 2013 the churches and religious groups in Czech Republic have declared their rights to more than 18,000 plots of land, but only 59 were approved by the state.
We recall that ee24.com already wrote that 6,000 Serbian objects will be returned to the old masters during the campaign for the restitution of property, nationalized during the reign of dictator Josip Broz Tito.