The Krnov Town Hall announced a contract for the reconstruction of Karnola

Krnov - The Krnov City Hall today announced a public contract for the reconstruction of the fire-damaged building of the former Karnola textile factory in Krnov. An interactive textile museum will be established there in a few years. Interested construction companies can apply until December 2. Dita Círová, the spokesperson for the city hall, stated this to ČTK. The building was destroyed by an intentionally set fire in December 2017. Police suspected two fourteen-year-old boys of the arson attack. The case was closed because they cannot be prosecuted due to their age.

"We announced the contract today. Interested parties have 23 days to prepare their bids. The deadline for submitting electronic bids will expire on December 2 at 09:00," said the spokesperson. She added that a tour of the building will take place on November 7 at 11:00.

The city received a European grant of 95 million crowns for the transformation of the factory into a museum. The Moravian-Silesian Region provided a ten million crown grant for the restoration of machines and samples damaged by the fire. The estimated total cost for the revitalization of Karnola is around 200 million crowns.

The original project, which was supposed to be implemented years ago, was estimated to cost 123 million crowns. The price increased due to the fire and the damage it caused. Additionally, construction costs have risen. The city had to cancel the original tender due to significant changes in the project and amend the project. The request for project changes was approved by the Centre for Regional Development of Hradec Králové, so the city did not lose the grant.

The site of the former textile factory burned down on December 20, 2017. According to the police, two schoolboys set the building on fire in several places. The fire caused damage exceeding 19 million crowns. However, the police closed the case. The boys, who according to investigators set the building on fire, are not criminally liable due to their young age. The court will only consider an educational penalty for the boys, or decide if the parents are liable for the damage.

The fire was most devastating in the rare fabric sample room. This room was intended to serve as the main element of the museum. The former spinning mill building with the sample workshop was declared a national cultural monument on February 8, 2010. The workshop designed fabric patterns for individual seasons. Before the fire, it was in a state known as the so-called "last working day," which is rare in the Czech Republic. The fire damaged weaving machines, but some can be repaired. The fire caused the most damage in the sample storage. The stored binders were destroyed not only by the heat of the flames but also by water used for extinguishing. The samples were supposed to form the basis of the planned exhibition.

Books salvaged from the ashes were cleaned by conservationists and taken to freezing boxes. They are awaiting transport to Prague, where specialists will dry them. The costs for the restoration of the samples will reach up to 12 million crowns.