We have a new address

Pat’anka 2614/11A © Ricky Yates

Last Wednesday 25th May 2011, Sybille & I changed our address. No – we haven’t moved out of the Chaplaincy flat. Instead, solely due to the intricacies of Czech bureaucracy, the building in which the Chaplaincy Flat is located, has been re-numbered.

All buildings in Prague have two numbers. One number, on a red plate with white lettering, is the registration of that building with the local authority – in our case, with Praha 6. Prague, like Paris, is divided into numbered districts, each of which has its own mayor and council. The registration number of our building – 2614, is unchanged. The other number, on a dark blue plate with white lettering, is the number of the building in that particular street. Our building was and still is, Pat’anka 11. But because there are two separate doors & staircases to the two halves of the building, one was labelled 11A and the other, (our entrance door & staircase) was labelled 11B.

However, for reasons that are explained in Czech in this document, last Wednesday, what was previously Pat’anka 2614/11A changed to being just Pat’anka 2614/11. And what was previously Pat’anka 2614/11B changed to being Pat’anka 2614/11A.

As can be seen in this photograph, we now have two brand new shiny signs on the outside wall adjacent to the entrance door & staircase that leads to our flat, just to ensure that nobody is confused. But, in the meantime, I have the wonderful task of informing a whole variety of businesses, organisations and individuals, that I no longer live at 11B but at 11A. What did I say previously about Czech bureaucracy?????

 

5 comments to We have a new address

  • Change duly noted in my address-book, Ricky. 🙂

  • Sean

    HI Ricky,
    This one is quite problematic. The developer should have discussed the names of the streets and numbers with the office responsible long before you moved in – we got our numbers in the contracts before we ever bought and the building was still under construction. Your changes have not been made by that office though or have been ‘filtered’, because the document is from your ‘vybor’ or housing committee. My guess is that at some point when a ‘rationalisation’ regime goes through Prague 6 your numbers will be 11 and 13, but someone has been trying to avoid using the number 13.

    In any case, it must be quite a hassle because you have to change the address on the contracts regarding the flat – the mortgage for example and your bank for your account statements, the water, heating, electricity and gas contracts (they may do this on the spot or they may want an addendum or even a new contract), the office where you registered your residence should be informed as well (which may require a new card/book if you have permanent residence now instead of that ‘long-term’ status for ‘ever’ that they stamped in your passport before). That should keep you busy for a few weeks 🙂

  • Ricky

    Hi Sean,
    Most official documentation has us living at Pat’anka 2614/11 – the ‘A’ & ‘B’ were never officially recognised. I’m not now going to disturb Czech bureaucracy if I can possibly avoid it!

  • Philip Grant

    Hello Ricky,
    A question please. Which insurance company did you use after you went onto Czech Plates. Presumably you required comprehensive cover. I am in Ceske Budejovice with my RHD Jaguar XJ8 and also need to transfer onto CZ plates.
    Regards
    Philip