Moravská Třebová will consider a proposal to convert the hospital into a museum

Moravská Třebová - The building of the former children's department of the hospital in Moravská Třebová in the Svitavy region, which the town hall plans to demolish, could ultimately find use as a geographical museum with research rooms and accommodation. This was stated today by city councilor Daniela Blahová (Association of Independent Candidates) to ČTK. The city leadership will wait for a specific proposal; for now, it prefers demolition, said Mayor Miloš Izák (ČSSD).

Representatives of Masaryk University proposed to convert the building into a scientific and museum center with accommodation for 50 beds, which universities would use as their detached workplace. The center would organize exchange study stays, foreign internships, and practical training.

Seminars, lectures, exhibitions, concerts, balls, and even sporting events, such as chess tournaments or table tennis competitions, could be held in the multipurpose hall. There is also the possibility of establishing a scientific library with a minimum of 30,000 books and relocating the city library from the castle, where there is insufficient space.

"We do not want the building to be demolished; we are trying to find a use for it. We will strive for a variant that will be a benefit to the city, not a burden," said Blahová.

According to the proposers, European grants could be used for the project. Money for documentation for the zoning and building permits can be obtained from grant programs of the Ministry for Regional Development and the Pardubice Region. The studies could be undertaken by architecture students from the Brno University of Technology.

"By the end of February, an investment plan and a more specific proposal for the use of the building will be developed, which will then be presented at the March council meeting," said Blahová.

The demolition of the building was halted by last year's request to the Ministry of Culture, which will decide whether the building is suitable for heritage protection. According to Mayor Miloš Izák (ČSSD), it depends on what the applicants come up with. How detailed the project will be, what attractive offerings it will provide, and who will pay for it.

"It's worth saving the building. Ideally, repairs should have started when it was still in better condition," said Filip Trunečka, who submitted the proposal for heritage protection to ČTK.

Operating costs are very significant. Izák does not want to burden the municipal treasury with an investment that the city would have financial difficulties managing. The mayor is skeptical about the proposal; he believes it should be demolished.

The councilors approved the demolition of the dilapidated building; there is no need to change the decision. A different situation would arise if the Ministry of Culture declared the building a cultural monument, Izák told ČTK.

"Then we would have to truly seek a meaningful use, but we still do not have a statement from the ministry," he noted.

The hospital has a corner layout and was completed in 1924. According to conservationists' assessments, it is an example of a generously built administrative building. In the past, the hospital lost its original windows and doors, which were replaced with standardized elements. The building has been empty for over ten years. The city purchased it from the regional government for 3.5 million crowns. Previous plans by the town hall and private investors did not materialize.