Dobříš will demolish the former cinema, and a park will be built in its place

Dobříš – Dobříš in Příbram district will demolish the building of the former cinema, which is in a state of disrepair. A park will be created in its place. The city has already selected a contractor, and the demolition will begin in the first half of March. Dobříš will pay about three million crowns for the demolition work and the creation of a new park with benches, Denisa Havlíčková from the town hall informed ČTK today.

The city originally wanted to convert the unused building from the 1950s into a library with community activities, but eventually abandoned that plan. According to Mayor Pavel Svoboda (For Dobříš), the project proved to be unrealistic and financially too demanding. Svoboda pointed out that the decision to demolish the building was made based on a structural engineer's report as early as 2017. Thus, the current leadership of the town hall has only finally opted for the radical solution that awaited the building anyway.

Deputy Mayor Tomáš Vokurka (ODS) stated that by removing the ruin, Dobříš will solve a long-term problem that has troubled the wider city center. However, the town hall has also received negative feedback. "I can understand them, because we as the city leadership also perceive a certain genius loci of this building. I understand that it is not easy to say goodbye to a place where many Dobříš residents experienced their first date. But I dare say that the future of this place was definitively sealed back in 2003, when it was closed," Vokurka said.

The Dobříš cinema started showing films in December 1951 and previously had a large audience. However, after the emergence of multiplexes, it began to stagnate at the end of the 20th century, and the condition of the rarely used building deteriorated. It was closed in 2003 and by 2010, there were several restaurant operators in the building.

Preparatory work for the demolition began at the end of January. The company Dokas Dobříš, which provides municipal services for the city, removed the old railing, built safety fencing, cleared the interior, and removed some trees for the arrival of heavy machinery. The larger trees that remain on site will receive protective casing before demolition to prevent damage to their trunks. The town hall will inform about the exact date of the demolition start later.