Visitors will be able to visit the restored Hrabal's cottage in Kersko starting Saturday

Hradištko - The restored Hrabal's cottage in Kersko in the Nymburk region will open to visitors from Saturday. After the reconstruction, it returned to its form from the 1980s, when Hrabal stayed in the cottage. Part of the exhibition consists of original furnishings from the collections of the Polabské Museum, such as the writer's typewriter, a mirror, or a painted cabinet. The authentic impression was also enhanced by period items that the Central Bohemian Region acquired from donors. The reconstruction of the cottage back to its original form cost the region six million crowns. Thanks to the model of a so-called house museum for smaller visitor groups, people will be able to enjoy the genius loci of the cottage and Kersko, said Central Bohemian Governor Petra Pecková (STAN) to reporters today during the presentation of the cottage.

"Our original idea was to have some facilities for writer residencies and so on. And when the students worked it out, we thought that if we built something in here, we would destroy the genius loci, and that would not be suitable and sustainable in the long run," said regional councilor for culture Václav Švenda (Allies). The initial ideas counted on facilities for about 100 visitors.

The most noticeable construction change is the restoration of the terrace with stairs, while the interior of the cottage underwent only minor modifications. "After 2000, some elements that were here during Hrabal's life disappeared, so we gradually returned to that," said Jan Vinduška, director of the Polabské Museum. For example, wooden floors returned to the cottage, the later-added bathroom was demolished, and newer window and door fillings were removed. The water and electricity installations and the facade were refurbished. In summer, the garden is expected to be restored to its state during Hrabal's life, with plans for seating areas.

Some of the period items, for instance, nearly the entire kitchen equipment, as well as some furniture, were donated by people in a collection. In January, the region published a list of sought items, and so far, over three-quarters of them have been successfully acquired. "We are still being contacted by more people, so we will gradually add them to the exhibition, which we say will be alive," added Švenda.

The region collaborated with the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University on the exhibition's design. The project, developed by former students Eliška Houdová and Jitka Zemanová, was awarded last year in a student competition for the Břetislav Štorm Prize.

The cottage will be open from Tuesday to Sunday; interested visitors must reserve a time for a tour. There are three guided tours available daily at 12:00, 14:00, and 16:00, each for a group of seven people. Entrance fees are 200 crowns, reduced to 150 crowns.

There is also a new mobile application with augmented reality features. It offers a guided tour with a 3D historical model of the garden and cottage assembled based on period photographs and is available in four languages. The second part of the application is a short story by contemporary writer Vratislav Kadlec inspired by Hrabal's garden. Visitors will be able to borrow the app along with a mobile phone in the cottage or download it to their own device. It will provide them with insights into Hrabal's life and relationships with other people. "Kersko is not just an object, an architectural building, but it is Hrabal's relationship to that place, to the community, to friends, relatives, artistic visitors, and to cats," said Vojtěch Poláček, director of the Antonín Dvořák Memorial. It can be used by people who are waiting for a tour. Several stations are placed throughout the garden, allowing people to see it as it looked during the writer's time.

The Polabské Museum has also prepared several souvenirs for visitors to the cottage, such as commemorative medals, tourist stamps, badges, and a commemorative banknote. The banknote issued for this year's 110th anniversary of the writer's birth was created in collaboration with the Museum of Securities, with the graphic design by Matěj Gábriš.

Hrabal bought the cottage, where he wrote most of his books primarily in the 1970s, in 1965. From 1967 to 1970, he made structural changes, adding an upper floor and a garage, above which a glass veranda was created. Before his death, he gifted the property to the son of his neighbor, who built a bathroom and kitchen here and owned it until 2021. The Central Bohemian Region purchased the cottage at the end of 2021 for nearly ten million crowns. The Polabské Museum also includes the Local History Museum in Nymburk, which has long managed a permanent exhibition dedicated to Bohumil Hrabal.