The freezing weather this winter complicates the roof repairs at Bítov

Bítov - The freezing weather of this winter complicates the roof repairs on the castle palace building in Bítov in the Znojmo region. Initially, the repairs were supposed to start in mid-January, but currently only scaffolding stands at the site as they are waiting for better weather, said the curator Jan Binder to ČTK today.

"We got used to relatively mild winters in previous years when construction was possible even in the winter months. However, this winter has disillusioned us and reminded us again," the curator stated. According to him, it was not possible to carry out repairs at temperatures well below freezing.

It now looks like the repairs will begin next week. "If the weather allows, the roof covering will be dismantled, the affected and damaged parts of the framework, lathing, copper gutters, and roofing will be inspected and replaced. Moist processes will have to wait until temperatures rise above ten degrees," Binder stated. This concerns chimneys, brick dormers, and cornices.

The repairs are also partially complicated by bats, which nest in the attic space and raise their young. Work should be interrupted in the nesting area from April to August. "The company has created a work schedule that allows the bats to nest. The part of the framework where they stay will be repaired outside the mentioned term and will additionally be structurally separated from the other part of the roof, where work will continue," Binder stated.

The roof repairs should be completed by the end of 2017 and handed over in the first quarter of 2018. It is one of the largest investments at the castle in recent years. The repairs will cost 18 million crowns and aim to address the emergency condition of the roof.

Bítov Castle towers above the Vranov Reservoir. It is visited by around 60,000 people annually, and this number regularly rises slightly. It is located in a less busy part of the reservoir's recreational zone compared to the surroundings of Vranov nad Dyjí.