The ministry will contribute to the restoration of the castle ruins in Zhoř

Stránecká Zhoř (Žďársko) - This year, the Ministry of Culture will contribute 600,000 crowns from the Architectural Heritage Preservation Program for the restoration of load-bearing walls and ceilings of the castle in Stránecká Zhoř. The basic restoration of the Renaissance monument will take at least another ten years; the Order of the Knights of Christ began the work in 2000. The costs for the rescue have exceeded 14 million crowns over the past nine years, with the state's share being about half, said the order's chancellor Thomas Töpfer today.
    "The construction-historical survey alone took two and a half years, only after that was it possible, in cooperation with heritage conservationists, to determine the method of restoration that is heading towards partial rehabilitation of the original state using traditional technologies," he stated. Hundreds of thousands of crowns were necessary to invest in the static securing of the buildings and the drainage of the site. Extensions from the 1950s were removed, buried cellars were cleared, and waste dumps were eliminated.
    In 2003 to 2004, a chapel was built in the southern wing after clearing the demolished cellars, the first wooden ceiling constructions were made in the interiors, the staircase was restored, and other crafts continued, such as the restoration of the vaulting. Three years ago, the castle received a stone portal, which was fitted with a stone plaque bearing an inscription.
    According to the chancellor, it is difficult to determine the costs for completing the rehabilitation of the building. They will definitely amount to tens of millions of crowns. An important criterion for saving the castle is good cooperation with the municipality, which contributes approximately 160,000 crowns annually to co-financing grants. From its funds, social facilities were also built on the ground floor of the eastern wing. There are now plans for the creation of a large hall that will serve for organizing social events. It is still missing in the village. Traditional celebrations of St. Wenceslas and castle days with presentations of completed restoration works are already held here.
    "For our needs, we will only require the western wing for the library and then the chapel, plus some accommodation capacity and an office; we intend to provide the rest for the public interest," summarized Töpfer. European grants are unattainable for the order. In the next steps, the owners will address the gradual restoration of the roof.
    The Renaissance building dates back to the second half of the 16th century and was established on the site of a fort. In the 18th century, the castle became part of the Velké Meziříčí estate. However, during the land reform in 1920, František Harrach lost it. It was acquired by the Cooperative of Agricultural Producers and Breeders. In 1943, it burned down, and after the war, it served agricultural purposes and was completely devastated. The last owner was Agro Měřín until 1999. The Order of the Knights of Christ bought the ruin for a crown and the land at market value.
    The Czech province of the Order of the Knights of Christ, which, according to Töpfer, is an international Roman Catholic society, consists of three members and one candidate.