A part of the monastery complex in Plasy will showcase the history of construction

Plasy (Plzeň Region) - In the Center for Architectural Heritage, the economic heritage buildings within the monastery complex in Plasy, Plzeň Region, will undergo changes over the next two years. Thanks to European funding, exhibitions dedicated to the history of construction and interactive workshops will be created here, where visitors will be able to try some activities directly. The project of the National Technical Museum (NTM) for nearly 400 million crowns plans to adapt and restore the former monastery brewery, mill, and economic yard. The center is set to open to the public in 2015, coordinator Pavel Kodera told ČTK today. The first part of the reconstruction will begin in the coming days.
      According to him, there is nowhere in Europe a similarly comprehensive and extensive center dedicated to construction. Plans include creating an exhibition dedicated to the history of construction in the monastery mill and brewery. At the same time, a study depository of historical construction elements, structures, and materials will be available. This allows the National Technical Museum the opportunity to present its architectural collection, which has been developed for over a century, in detail. A kind of sample book of construction elements will be available for educational purposes for schools and owners repairing heritage buildings. "They will be able to see, for example, how construction openings looked in the Baroque period and learn something while repairing their building," Kodera described.
      In eleven months, the brewery will return to the appearance it had a hundred years ago. It will be rid of appendages and changes from the time of the Jednota wholesale warehouse, while a typical malting chimney will return to the roof.
      The next phase will be the restoration of the Cistercian Romanesque-Gothic and Baroque economic yard. The significantly devastated area will start to be repaired in the middle of next year. After the adaptation, it will primarily offer traditional construction technologies and craftsmanship techniques. The buildings will provide a background for demonstrations and teaching of construction crafts and experience workshops will be created. "Visitors will be able to personally try things like molding a brick from clay, cutting limestone, building a model of a roof framework, and similar activities," Kodera stated. The space will also accommodate a new location for the municipal library, which will offer readers specialized titles focused on historical construction.