Most relocates the library to the cultural house, some people are against it

Most - Most wants to move the city library to the cultural house Repre. The current library building from the 1980s is in poor technical condition, and its renovation would be expensive according to the city leadership. Part of the public in Most is not pleased with the move; a petition against this plan has been created, and a protest event is being prepared.

The idea of relocating the library to Repre dates back to 2015 when the cultural house, originally intended for demolition, was taken back by the city from the company Crestyl, which began preparing its modernization. A static survey showed that it is possible to move the library there. "We want to support the establishment of a quality infrastructure for the development of a cultural and social center. Our goal is to provide a sufficiently representative cultural and congress center for all groups of residents and visitors to the city," said Mayor Jan Paparega (ProMOST).

People who signed the petition against moving the library from Moskevská Street are concerned about the deterioration of the building and the worsening of services for readers. The petition committee intends to deliver the signature sheets to the city hall in November, and a demonstration in front of the library is planned for November 19.

Signatures are being collected, among other places, at the city hall. "On Monday, October 14, we placed a petition against moving the library in the entrance hall of the city hall following an agreement with the city secretary. But just two days later, the secretary informed us that the petition had disappeared; neither the reception staff nor the city police service, which is present in the hall 24 hours a day, noticed anything. Not only the text of the petition was missing from the table, but also the already signed petition sheets," said opposition councilor and member of the petition committee Adam Komenda (Greens and Pirates). "We will, of course, place the petition at the city hall again," he stated.

The building for the city library began construction at the end of the 1980s. The new building was opened to the public in 1985 and boasts, among other things, the longest chandelier in European libraries. A double spiral of glass tubes winds above the bookshelves along the entire length of the building. The work of the artistic glassmaker Vladimír Procházka corresponds with the scale of the open spaces that were then being built.

According to the city hall's estimates, the costs of repairing the building would be nearly 400 million crowns. Most already has developed project documentation worth 20 million crowns for the reconstruction of the cultural house Repre; in addition to the library, there will be a cinema, a repaired planetarium, a café with a restaurant, and a large social hall. The city hall's leadership previously rejected the architectural study for the largest investment in the city in recent years.

What will happen to the building on Moskevská once the library vacates it is still unclear. "We will try to find a solution on how to preserve the building and use it for the needs of the citizens. One possibility is the sale of the building, where the purpose of its use would be firmly set in the purchase agreement," said the mayor.