The Faculty Hospital HK restored the sgraffito decoration of the facade of the children's clinic

Hradec Králové - Hradec Králové University Hospital (FN HK) has had the sgraffito decoration from the 1950s restored on the facade of the Children's Clinic of FN HK. The repair began this April and was completed on July 22, spokesperson for the hospital Jan Špelda said today to ČTK. The work cost nearly 500,000 crowns. The work by sculptor Bedřich Šimon (1902-1988) depicts children playing under the supervision of hospital staff. According to the hospital representatives, it was already difficult to see before the restoration.

"I am glad that we managed to restore the sgraffito in cooperation with preservationists and the implementation company, which has been remembered by several generations of patients who visited the children's clinic, as well as the hospital employees. Let us hope that this work, which is a reflection of the time when the children's clinic was established, will remain well visible for many years to come and will bring joy to passersby," said FN HK director Aleš Herman.

The sgraffito, which is 12 meters wide, is more than three meters high and is located on the main facade of the children's clinic. It was created in 1953. The construction of the children's clinic was designed by Jan Rejchl, František Steiner, and Václav Rohlíček in 1949, and the construction took approximately five years. The building has been in operation since 1954, with the inpatient section opening in 1957.

In the extensive area of FN HK, there are several works of art, including a metal sculpture by sculptor Karel Mahrly in front of the neurosurgery pavilion, and a statue of a nurse holding a baby, created by authors Jan and Marie Wagner, in front of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic of FN HK.

The FN HK area is located on the left bank of the Elbe River at the confluence with the Orlice River in the southern part of the hundred-thousand-strong Hradec Králové. The Hradec hospital, known as the General Public District Hospital, was opened on November 4, 1928, and began operating for patients on November 12 of the same year. With its conception, technical equipment, and layout, the hospital complex was among the most modern in the former Czechoslovakia. Its original architectural form is practically preserved to this day, from the entrance gate for pedestrians to the infection pavilion. Since then, the hospital has significantly expanded, and its development continues.

Hradec Králové University Hospital is one of the largest healthcare facilities in the Czech Republic and the largest in Eastern Bohemia. It employs over 5,000 staff and has more than 40 healthcare departments. Annually, over 40,000 patients are hospitalized, of which around 27,000 undergo surgery in recent years. FN HK offers patients nearly 1,400 beds.