The appearance of the new ceremonial hall of the cemetery in Poděbrady will arise from an architectural competition

Poděbrady – Poděbrady will seek the design of a new mourning ceremony hall and memorial space at the cemetery in the district of Kluk through an architectural competition. The city council approved the parameters for the competition, which could be announced in cooperation with the Czech Chamber of Architects in about two months. However, the construction will likely be a matter for the next election term, with estimated costs of 80 million crowns. This was stated today by the city's deputy mayor, Ladislav Langr.

The city expects not only proposals for the ceremony hall and memorial space from the competition, but also the development of the entire surrounding area. "It concerns an area of 11,000 m², which will need to be addressed urbanistically and architecturally," Langr said. According to him, part of it will be designated as a parking lot and part as a supply garden. The new space should serve not only for mourning ceremonies but also as a dignified place for memorial events.

The cemetery in Poděbrady in the Kluk district is a registered cultural monument. It was built between 1902 and 1903 according to the plans of Secessionist architect Josef Fanta. The northeastern wall, known as Bílkovy, is valuable, featuring relief medallions with biblical themes by sculptor František Bílek. The cemetery contains several artistically valuable gravestones by notable architects. According to Langr, the current ceremony hall in the cemetery grounds is outdated and inadequate.

The architectural competition under the auspices of the Czech Chamber of Architects was last utilized by the city in 2015 when it sought to transform Jiří Square. However, the city did not utilize the proposals at that time.