The YMCA building in Bratislava. (source: Marko Erd)
Culture Minister Martina Šimkovičová (SNS nom.) refused to give a grant to one of the iconic Bratislava buildings, built more than a century ago by the local branch of YMCA. The national cultural monument known simply as YMCA (Yimka to locals- Ed.) is located on the outskirts of the Staré Mesto borough near the main railway station.
The building is home to the A4 café and cultural centre, the Randal music club, the MMC club, the Proti Prúdu and Fest Anča associations, a theatre, among other things.
At the moment, the roof of YMCA needs to be repaired as it leaking. A fundraiser has been launched, with more than half of the necessary €50,000 already collected.
According to Sme daily, YMCA placed fourth among dozens of projects applying for money from the Culture Ministry as part of its grant to renovate buildings. The final standing was determined by experts selected by the ministry, with the top eight recommended for support. When the ministry sent the association a letter explaining why it would not get money, it claimed that the committee allegedly did not include them in the recommended projects.
The association planned to get €750,000 of the €1.1 million required for the repair of the roof, boiler room, elevator, as well as the entrance premises. A full repair is estimated at €8 million.
The roof is in critical condition. According to building administrator Radovan Jančula, they are constantly repairing it when it starts leaking, but it cannot go like this forever.
Although the association tried to get money from various sources, there are several problems. For example, since the building is located in Bratislava, which is considered a rich region, they will not get EU funds. The municipality says it does not have available money. Also, the restoration plan only covers monuments owned by the state or local governments.
