The Capuchin Monastery in Žatec is set to become a center for robotics

photo: Milada13, WikimediaCommons

Žatec - The former Capuchin monastery in Žatec is to be transformed into a regional robotics center. Through a grant from European funds, the city aims to protect the unused building from further deterioration while also finding a meaningful use for it. The robotics center would primarily serve to educate schoolchildren, and in the afternoon hours, local associations could use the building for their activities. This was stated today by Žatec's mayor Zdeňka Hamousová (Choice for the City).

"We will announce a tender for the development of project documentation. If the council approves the plan, we will apply for a grant in the autumn. The reconstruction costs will be in the order of 30 million crowns. It will be one of the options for connecting education and modern technologies," Hamousová described. Schoolchildren could learn to operate robots or even assemble them in the monastery. The knowledge gained from these classes could be useful in adulthood when seeking employment, for example, in the nearby Triangle industrial zone.

The reconstructed monastery could also be used by local associations that currently have no space to gather. "The monastery would function as a club house. We plan to have about ten club rooms and two community rooms," said city architect Jiří Vaníček. Common facilities would also include basic refreshments.

The monastery building has been unused for a long time, and the city has unsuccessfully attempted to sell it. Due to the poor condition of the roof, the building was even at risk of collapsing. The city invested eight million crowns in structural security. As part of the Temple of Hops and Beer project, the monastery garden was also successfully reconstructed.

The Capuchin monastery with the Church of the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was built between 1676 and 1684, and the monastery was dissolved in 1950.