Kadaň wants to revitalize the city walls and is having a study prepared

Kadaň (Chomutov Region) - Kadaň has commissioned a study to revitalize the city walls. The city would like to engage the public space on the walls more in the lives of locals and tourists. The study will be handled by architect Petr Uhlík, who among other projects designed the area of Kadaň's waterfront Maxips Fík and Löschner Square, which was awarded this year in the Building of the Year competition. Jiří Kulhánek (ODS), the mayor of Kadaň, told ČTK.
The fortification system in Kadaň is the best preserved in the Czech Republic. However, according to the mayor, there is one area that is challenging for passage, namely around the Bird Houses. "So the role of the architect is to come up with ways to make the walls accessible all around. Additionally, the use of this somewhat neglected area behind the shooting range is still unclear. It is currently being addressed in variants that we will discuss with the citizens," Kulhánek stated. Together with the architect, the city will present the first draft of the study to the public at a meeting on December 7. It will mainly concern people who have gardens in the area.
If everything goes according to plan, in 2016 the city could commission and have project documentation prepared and start the first phase of construction. "In the first phases, it will probably be the part that is easy to walk through and operate, while in the subsequent years, we will continue with the more complex sections," the mayor added.
The revitalization of the walls will follow the reconstruction of Löschner and Students' Squares, which lie on the borders of the city's heritage zone. While Löschner Square was successfully completed this year, the redevelopment of Students' Square is expected to be finished by the start of the summer season in 2016. The city has already selected a contractor for the construction, and archaeological research is currently being carried out on site.
The city fortifications were constructed after 1259 when Kadaň was declared a royal town. However, the preserved walls enclosing the city date back to the second half of the 14th century, with additional sections added in the late Gothic period. The walls had two to three belts and another fortification circuit protecting the city and its suburbs, which has not survived to this day.