People are contributing to the restoration of the Dittrich mausoleum, there is currently over 16,000 CZK in the account

Krásná Lípa - The transparent account established by Krásná Lípa in the Děčín region for the repair of the Dittrich family tomb has received over 16,000 crowns about a month and a half after its establishment. The city did not set a target amount, wanting to give people the opportunity to contribute to the repair financing. By the beginning of winter, the city hall aims to cover the historical tomb at the foot of the local cemetery. The overall restoration requires tens of millions of crowns. This was stated to ČTK by senator and deputy mayor of Krásná Lípa, Zbyněk Linhart (Association 2022).

"Several people inquired about the possibility to contribute, so we opened a collection. It's not as if we have a specific target amount," said Linhart, noting that he expects rather symbolic contributions.

Interested parties can send money to account number 6677308389/0800.

The deputy mayor reminded that the mausoleum had been deteriorating for 20 years, with leaks and the risk of collapse. "Just the mosaic that was there would cost about seven million crowns," he added regarding one of the partial repairs.

Together with the public, the local brewery Falkenštejn is contributing to the funding, donating a portion of the profits from every liter of Dittrich beer sold to the city for reconstruction. Děčín entrepreneur Valdemar Grešík also intends to contribute to one of the phases. According to the deputy mayor, the city is open to offers from other interested parties who wish to contribute to the repairs.

The city hall plans to thank donors at the beginning of September. Among others, also the Ústí Region, from which the city received a grant of 1.5 million crowns for the repairs. Mayor Jan Kolář (Association 2022) informed ČTK that the public might be allowed to view the tomb.

The city became the owner of the Dittrich family mausoleum after purchasing it from the insolvency administrator for 10,000 crowns. The reconstruction of the tomb of the prominent industrialist will take several years. The city would like to create an exhibition dedicated to the family's history on the ground floor.

The mausoleum was designed in 1886 by Berlin architect Julius Carl Raschdorff, who is also the author of the tomb of German Emperor Friedrich III in Potsdam. The walls of the Krásná Lípa tomb are covered with glass blue-gold mosaic, and the technical facilities are extraordinary as well. The building includes a small boiler room, which allowed the mausoleum to be heated. The interior decoration was undertaken by August Frind, a native of Krásná Lípa, but only small parts of the paintings have survived. The mayor previously stated that it is still unclear whether there will be enough money for the restoration of the paintings.

In 2006, the Ministry of Culture declared the tomb of the Dittrich family a cultural monument.