Litomyšl opened the renovated castle hill for 412 million

Litomyšl (Svitavsko) - The town of Litomyšl today ceremoniously opened 11 renovated buildings on the castle hill. The three-year revitalization of the hill cost 412 million crowns, making it the largest investment project in the recent history of this town with a population of several thousand. The investment was funded by the European Integrated Operational Program. The area is set to become a regional center for culture, education, and social life, said Michaela Severová, spokesperson for the town hall, to ČTK.
    Builders from the company Hochtief repaired the castle brewery, riding hall, carriage house, stable, horse paddock, Piarist College, Piarist Church, park, first and upper courtyards, and the forecourt. Four architectural teams participated in the project. The Renaissance castle complex has been on the prestigious list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1999.
    The facilities on the castle hill are already being used by the non-profit organization Centre for Restoration, the Faculty of Restoration at the University of Pardubice, the Smetanova Litomyšl organization, and the National Heritage Institute. As part of the project, a School at the Castle was also established, which connects experiential education and the genius loci of the site. It prepares programs focused on music, visual arts, architecture, history, and environmental education for primary and secondary school students.
    In the Piarist Church of the Finding of the Holy Cross, there is an exhibition from the diocesan museum titled Angels on the Hill, a labyrinth for children is located in the horse paddock, and the stable serves as a space for larger cultural and social events. The regional museum has storage and workshop facilities in the new attic extension of the brewery, and an European training center established by the town of Litomyšl and the YMCA also operates in the brewery.
    The castle itself is in need of extensive renovation. However, restoration experts have yet to secure funding for the construction work. "Previous cost estimates were between 200 to 250 million crowns," recently stated Litomyšl's deputy mayor Radomil Kašpar (KDU-ČSL). According to him, it may be possible to obtain a grant for the castle repairs in the new programming period of the European Union.