The Krnov Town Hall will begin repairing the fire-damaged Karnola

Krnov – The Krnov town hall will begin renovating the former Karnola textile factory, which was destroyed by an intentionally set fire in December 2017. The site will also see the demolition of the boiler room, the construction of a new transformer station, roof repairs, and adjustments to the surrounding areas. This was announced today by the city's spokesperson, Dita Círová.

The fire most severely damaged the dezinatura, a rare fabric sample room that housed fabric samples and historical machines. "The dezinatura is to be restored to its pre-fire condition by spring 2022," said Círová. She mentioned that damaged ceilings and floors, among other things, will be repaired. The costs for these repairs have not yet been calculated.

The other planned works at the Karnola site will cost the city more than 14 million crowns. "The building that houses the reception will receive a temporary roof repair to prevent leaking. For the same reasons, the skylights in the low building behind the dezinatura will also be repaired. Additionally, the former boiler room will be demolished, and public space will be adjusted to create an area for outdoor cultural events," said the town hall spokesperson.

The city has already announced a tender for the construction of the transformer station and the demolition of the boiler room. The transformer station is expected to be completed by mid-summer, with demolition planned by the end of May. The subsequent revitalization of the area should be finished in August.

The heart of the national cultural monument is the dezinatura, the workshop of the sample room, where patterns for manufactured fabrics for individual seasons were designed. The city hopes to establish a textile museum exhibit here in the future. The fire, set on December 20, 2017, by two minor boys, damaged a collection of mechanical and manual weaving looms and other machines. Their restoration will commence after the building has been returned to its pre-fire state. In accordance with heritage preservation requirements, former adjusters from Karnola might restore the machines directly in the dezinatura to their visual condition. They are likely to start work in the spring of next year.

The fire and the water used in firefighting also devastated a valuable collection of fabric samples, pattern books, and other documents. These have been gradually returning to Krnov from the drying chamber of the National Technical Museum in Prague since February of last year. "We have already brought back the last batch. The documents are still being sorted into groups based on damage and historical value by the former head of the sample room, Jitka Navrátilová, who is also partially conserving the samples and books," added the head of the Krnov City Museum, Ľubica Mezerová.