The new science center in Cheb for 35 million CZK will open at the end of November

Cheb - A new nature center in the premises of the House of Children and Youth Sova in Cheb will open at the end of November. The extension is undergoing final adjustments and furniture installation, and the first tropical plants are already moving in. The educational center, costing 35 million crowns, is low-cost and ecological. It is equipped with modern technologies for heating and rainwater utilization, said the director of the House of Children, Miroslav Šverdík, today to ČTK.

The new building with a front glass roof is embedded in the terrain and has been added to the original stable building. It includes a tropical section with an indoor greenhouse, a terrarium and botanical section, as well as classrooms and a laboratory. It will be used by children in clubs focusing on terraristics or gardening. It will also offer educational programs for local schools and kindergartens. The House of Children in Cheb is attended by around 2000 children.

The extension replaced the original greenhouses, which were inadequate and demanding in terms of heating. "The building is constructed with minimal thermal losses, so basically the energy that was used for the greenhouses should be sufficient for the entire facility," the director stated. The facility is primarily heated by heat pumps, and underfloor heating runs throughout the entire interior space. Additionally, solar panels placed on the roof will provide the necessary electrical energy for the greenhouse and terrariums. The House of Children has fixed energy prices for now, so significant price hikes are not expected yet.

"The sun will provide a lot of heating. The problem will rather arise in summer with shading. When the internal temperature exceeds a certain point, the windows should automatically open, and the blinds should be drawn. There is also a weather station, so if the wind or rain increases, everything will be drawn back," stated the director.

Until now, tropical and subtropical greenhouses were located in the main building or in temporary film houses. Now, with the help of children, they are moving into the new facility. "In the large greenhouse, there is a large box containing 50 tons of soil, and here we will have citrus trees, such as mandarins or pomelos. Some of them are original and thirty years old, but new ones will also be acquired," Šverdík said. The facility will also include terrariums, aquariums, and aviaries.

The construction of the nature center cost 35 million crowns, and the equipment cost one million crowns. The city managed to obtain a grant from the Integrated Regional Operational Program amounting to 18 million crowns. In the future, the management of the House of Children would like to also repair the outdoor aviaries. However, costs could escalate into tens of millions of crowns.