Museum staff are clearing out the decommissioned substation of the Ústí chemical plant, which will be transformed into a depository

Ústí nad Labem – Museum staff are clearing out the decommissioned substation of the Ústí chemical plant. With the help of machinery, they transported dozens of giant insulators, each weighing two tons. The industrial building will be transformed into a repository where oversized exhibits from the collections will be placed. The public will also be able to view the repository. This was reported to ČTK by the museum director Václav Houfek.

"Although the building looks like a spacious practical hall from the outside, its interior is fully occupied by the original technology, so we have not been able to move practically anything inside yet. Current work on the clearance will resolve this limitation by the end of this year,” Houfek stated.

The transformer station was purchased by the city for 13 million crowns. The museum has taken it over and is preparing a project for its reconstruction costing around 150 million crowns, with which it plans to seek support from European funds next year. According to the prepared architectural study, an internal structure is planned for the storage of oversized exhibits from technical collections, collections of applied arts, and archaeology. It will be possible to peek into the individual spaces without jeopardizing the stored collection items.

The building will also showcase the work of museum staff to the public. Through glass walls, visitors will see laboratories, workshops, research rooms, and other workspaces. "The same idea is behind the recently opened art repository in Rotterdam, which is called the flowerpot due to its unusual shape,” Houfek said.

The Ústí repository also aims to acquire a distinctive architectural appearance and at the same time, the museum is placing demands for maximum energy self-sufficiency and minimal environmental impact from its operation. "Of course, we first need to prepare the project documentation for the building permit so that we can prepare project applications. If our grant application is successful, I estimate completion within five years. If everything goes well, we will be the first museum with this attractive type of repository in the Czech Republic,” said the director of the Ústí City Museum.