Minister of Culture wants to talk about the revolving auditorium mainly with the citizens

Český Krumlov - Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) today visited the castle and the rotating theater in the castle garden during a working trip in Český Krumlov. He spoke with heritage conservationists about the rotating theater and wants to meet with local politicians, representatives of UNESCO, and especially with citizens before making a decision about the future of the theater. Ivana Awwadová from the press department of the Ministry of Culture announced this in a press release.

According to conservationists, the theater built during the era of socialist Czechoslovakia disrupts the character of the castle garden. This fact is also pointed out by the international organization UNESCO, of which Český Krumlov has been a part since 1992. The rotating theater is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

Today, Staněk discussed the theater with the conservationists. "I also plan to meet with regional politicians, with the Czech National Committee of ICOMOS, representatives of UNESCO, and especially with the public because I think it is necessary to discuss this matter, find a prudent approach, and not make hasty decisions or grand gestures," Staněk stated.

His predecessor in the position, Ilja Šmíd (for ANO), wanted the rotating theater to be moved from the castle garden to the site of the former horticulture. In contrast, Prime Minister in resignation Andrej Babiš (ANO) told ČTK in June that the theater should remain in the castle garden. "People have gotten used to it, and we need to invest in a base for the artists who perform there. People see it as something that belongs there (the theater), and they don’t like changes," Babiš said in June.

The current theater belongs to the city of České Budějovice. The South Bohemian Theater, which performs at the rotating theater, has a rental agreement with the conservationists for the garden until the end of 2020. The South Bohemian Theater wants to move the new theater, the design of which should come from an architectural competition, to the theater section of the former horticultural site. The castle garden would expand into this theater section, which is currently an unkempt area behind the wall of the castle garden.

The new theater is estimated to cost hundreds of millions of crowns. It could be created based on the proposal by scenographer Joana Brehmse from 1972. It would have two auditoriums, with a chamber performance space in between. The original rotating theater first turned 60 years ago, on June 9, 1958. The South Bohemian Theater generated revenue of 32.9 million CZK from the rotating theater last year, attracting 56,528 spectators.