Chrudim continues the preparation of the long-delayed adjustments to the summer cinema

Chrudim - Chrudim continues to prepare the long-postponed renovations of the summer cinema behind the Regional Museum. The city has processed documentation for the zoning procedure and wants to apply for zoning approval. However, when work on the renovations will actually begin, and whether it will happen at all, is still unclear; it won’t be during the current city leadership's term, said Mayor František Pilný to ČTK.

"It will depend on whether funds and the will for construction can be found. The costs are estimated at 50 million crowns and currently, the chances of obtaining a usable grant do not appear," Pilný stated.

The sloping auditorium of the summer cinema will be preserved to allow for versatile use ranging from film projections to theatrical performances, music productions with a dance floor, and performances by large musical ensembles. According to the prepared study, the number of fixed bench seating will be reduced to about 300, with another approximately 200 seats available on grassy areas around. Between the stage and the auditorium, there is a flat area designated, for example, for dancing or placing a mobile stage.

The area is located very close to the city center, with the space behind the museum acting as a peninsula created between the river and the canal. It is dominated by the building of Chrudim's community center with a large social hall, and a rear outdoor staircase connects the entrance area with the natural peninsula. In its central location is the summer cinema with a concrete projection area measuring 21.5 by 10.5 meters and a tiered auditorium. The peninsula will be divided into two connected parts, urban and natural. The first will have a paved courtyard adjacent to the museum building, while the second will have a city garden with a summer amphitheater.

The project also includes a new footbridge over the Chrudimka River and the repair of a small bridge over the canal providing access to the cinema from Lázeňská Street. A complication is the transformer station, which obstructs the construction of the footbridge. Behind the museum, a multipurpose area will be created, serving both for parking and for holding cultural events.

The permanent summer stage behind the regional museum was closed by the city due to its high operating costs after the summer season of 2005; it had been in operation since 1958. In May 2007, the leadership of Chrudim approved plans for the revitalization of the area up to the confluence of the Chrudimka with the canal. The study planned for a reduction in the number of seats, and part of the area behind the museum was to be converted into a parking lot. After the municipal elections in October 2010 and changes at the city hall, the processing of project documentation was suspended. Since June 2011, the association MaChr has rented the site and has been holding film screenings and cultural, social, and other events there.