In Jablonec, another phase of the restoration of the Kittel House has begun

Pěnčín - In Pěnčín-Krásné in the Jablonec area, another phase of the renovation of Kittel's house has begun, which will cost over 26 million crowns. The work will last more than two years. The renovated house is expected to open to the public on July 15, 2019, said Jan Sedlák, who is in charge of the project, to ČTK today.

The spacious timber building from the first half of the 18th century, colloquially nicknamed Burk, is associated with the figure of the local healer and surgeon Eleazar Kittel. The municipality purchased the house in 2004. At that time, the historic building was in emergency condition, and it was only a matter of time before it would collapse. More than 30 million crowns have been invested in the house. Visitors to the traditional St. Joseph's pilgrimage could see what has already been accomplished today. "The house is after certain stabilization. It has a new roof covering, new windows. And a thing was done that is not very visible but is very important for timber buildings, which is moisture stabilization," Sedlák stated.

A European grant has been secured for the next phase of reconstruction. Work will primarily take place inside the house. Today, interested parties could see what the interior plaster could look like. Like in the past, it will be clay. If the house is maintained, its lifespan is practically unlimited. "Clay plasters are ideal in that they are completely breathable. So, just as they can absorb water, they also immediately expel it. They are also original in that they can be practically continuously repaired," said Pavel Svoboda, who today applied several test samples with different structures to the wooden wall in one of the rooms of the house. They are four centimeters thick and as a binder, Svoboda added straw chaff to them. "To prevent cracking, it is a very thick layer," he added. According to him, regular plasters are up to three centimeters thick. The samples will dry for about a month. For further work, the one that most closely resembles the plaster that was in the house in the past will be selected.

Work has also begun on the repair of the two-storey black kitchen, of which very few have survived in northern Bohemia. According to Sedlák, they do not yet know whether it will be functional again. "It is not a completely simple matter. We do not know if we will manage to comply with all fire regulations and standards. Theoretically, we could manage to get the kitchen and oven operating, the project anticipates this," he added.

During the next two years, the house is expected to transform into an information, cultural, and social center. There will be a permanent exhibition about the history of this place, from 7000-year-old prehistoric axes to the medical and healing traditions of Kittel, who had the house built. He used it not only for living but also for his work. He had a dissection room, human skeletons, a greenhouse with rare herbs, and baths. Kittel is surrounded by many legends and myths. To supposedly save his enslaved soul, he had a school, a spring, a rectory, and a church built next to his house in his old age. His life and healing are now commemorated by a museum located next to Burk. There, magical books, including a replica of the Smržovský grimoire, can also be viewed. The museum is visited by approximately 3,000 to 4,000 tourists annually.