The site of the new regional gallery in Plzeň will once again just be a park for now

Plzeň - As a provisional park, the area U Zvonu will again serve in Plzeň, where a new building of the West Bohemian Gallery was to be constructed. Due to a lack of funds, the region has currently halted the project; therefore, archaeologists have preserved the site and will now fill it in. Together with conservationists, they have already applied for the designation of the remains of the discovered hospital church as a cultural monument. The regional government is still seeking funds for the construction of the gallery, but it will not start without subsidies. It recently rejected an offer of a loan from a Chinese investor, according to ČTK.
    "The archaeologists will now complete the survey and the land will be restored to its original state so that it can serve the citizens. We still have it leased from the city, still in use, and we will try to obtain financial resources for the gallery," said Václav Koubík (ČSSD), regional councilor for culture.
    According to Governor Milan Chovanec (ČSSD), the Plzeň Region recently received a loan offer from a Chinese investor. "However, we did not consider it seriously. It was a classic loan, but we do not want to build the gallery without a subsidy," he added. It is now almost certain that the new building for more than 600 million CZK will not be completed by 2015, when Plzeň will be the European Capital of Culture. The city had counted on the gallery in its plans.
    According to the head of the archaeological research, Jiří Orna, the area U Zvonu has been explored for three-quarters. "We have discovered the remains of the hospital church and a cemetery. It is now preserved and ready to be filled in, which is expected to happen in the coming days," he said.
    The remains of the hospital church in the center of Plzeň are considered unique by archaeologists due to their preservation. The Church of St. Mary Magdalene from the early 14th century retains the entire southern wall, including the above-ground masonry and stone cladding. The find is a significant rarity for Plzeň, but also important within the Czech Republic. "In cooperation with conservationists, we have already submitted a proposal for it to be designated as a cultural monument," Orna added.
    Heritage protection would enhance the significance of the find and also obligate the investor to a more careful approach. According to Orna, the only potential hurdle could be that only one part of the church has been excavated so far; specialists utilized materials from a 1946 research study conducted in the area to survey the second half.
    The construction of a new gallery in Plzeň has been talked about practically since the establishment of the West Bohemian Gallery in 1954. In recent years, an attractive location U Zvonu in the city center was selected for it, where a residential building once stood. The city had it demolished due to damaged static stability after the floods of 2002. Since then, the area has served as a provisional park. "We have it archaeologically mapped, so we have a head start for any potential construction," Koubík added.