Kolín will this year renovate the town hall atrium and conduct surveys of Jewish houses

Kolín – This year, Kolín will invest in the historical properties owned by the city. In the spring, it plans to conduct a structural-historical and restoration survey of two historical Jewish houses on Na Hradbách street, which is necessary for further renovations. The city estimates the costs for surveys, studies, and subsequent project documentation to be between 3.5 and four million crowns. Reconstruction of the town hall vestibule is expected to begin in June, which will cost 12 million crowns. Both investments were approved by the Kolín city councilors at their last meeting as part of the budget amendment. The mayor of Kolín, Michael Kašpar, informed ČTK about this.

On Na Hradbách street, there is a former rabbi's house and the Jewish town hall. Kolín bought these properties in a dilapidated state for about six million crowns in the summer of 2020 from two private owners. It plans extensive renovations, which will make the buildings accessible to the public as part of a Jewish sightseeing circuit. According to Kašpar, the city plans to use so-called Norwegian funds or European Union grants for financing.

The city is currently addressing the scope of the exploratory works, after which a tender will be announced. The surveys, which will be part of the project documentation, will determine the technical condition of the houses and help identify which layers should be restored during the renovation works. The houses belong to the area of the former Jewish ghetto.

In the rabbi's house, dating back to the 13th century and where Kolín’s and later provincial rabbi Richard Feder lived in the first half of the 20th century, there is a ritual mikveh with three baths. In the future, these should be accessible to the public. "We are considering that there could be exhibition spaces for Jewish items, of which we have quite a few; in the back house, there could be a replica of a Jewish apartment, an illustration of how people lived in the 19th century in the Jewish quarter," Kašpar outlined the plans.

The intention to restore the vestibule of the Kolín town hall, which is a protected cultural monument, has been in Kolín’s plans for several years. The twelve-million-crown reconstruction will include not only restoration work but also repairs to engineering networks, lower plastering, sewage, and dehumidification. "If everything goes well, a firm could be selected by the end of April, and work could begin in the summer," said Kašpar.