Litomyšl - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) faces the risk of not being able to utilize the European grant promised for the repairs of the castle in Litomyšl. In the competition announced last October, a winner was selected, but one of the tender participants filed objections that must be resolved by the antimonopoly office. As a result, it is likely that the deadline for utilizing the grant will not be met, said Miloš Kadlec, director of the NPÚ regional office in Sychrov, to ČTK. The ÚOHS confirmed receipt of the complaint but has not yet made a decision.
"I made a decision on the selection of the most suitable contractor, but the second-ranked bidder submitted a complaint to the Office for the Protection of Competition (ÚOHS), where it is currently being addressed," Kadlec stated. According to him, there is a risk that part of the grant may not be utilized, depending on when the ÚOHS makes a decision.
Martin Švanda, spokesman for the antimonopoly office, confirmed to ČTK that the ÚOHS accepted the complaint. "The Office for the Protection of Competition is conducting first-instance administrative proceedings in regard to the procurement procedure of the National Heritage Institute for the selection of a contractor for the construction of the Castle and the Manor House in Litomyšl. The proceedings were initiated at the request of the contractor Chládek and Tintěra, Pardubice, who claim that the selected contractor did not meet the qualification requirements. No first-instance decision has yet been issued," Švanda stated.
Five participants entered the competition. The winning bid of around half a billion crowns, according to Kadlec, met the expectations of the heritage conservationists. Due to the European grant from the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP), part of the project must be accounted for by the end of 2023. "We intentionally announced the competition back in October of last year to allow enough time for everything," Kadlec said.
The content of the competition announced by the NPÚ also includes the repair of the nearby Manor House. According to the tender specifications, the first phase of repairs to the castle and the Manor House should be completed by October 2023, with the second phase expected to be finished by October 2027. Part of the costs will be covered by IROP, with additional funds coming from the national program for the Care of National Cultural Heritage I. The repairs include the restoration of roof coverings of the castle and selected interior spaces. The sgraffito decoration of the castle's exterior plaster and the nearby Manor House, which also includes repair of the retaining and support wall, will be renovated. Another part of the funds will be allocated for furnishing the interior exhibitions.
The NPÚ has previously failed to secure European grants for the restoration of the castle and the Manor House on two occasions. Heritage conservationists stated that the projects requesting grants of over 250 million crowns were well-prepared, but suffered particularly because the buildings were not in a state of emergency.
The castle in Litomyšl is a valuable example of the adaptation of an Italian Renaissance palace to the conditions of the Alpine countries. It was built in the 1560s to 1580s by Vratislav of Pernštejn as a gift for his wife Maria Manrique de Lara. The Pernštejn Renaissance residence was supplemented in the 17th and 18th centuries with Baroque modifications carried out by subsequent owners, the Trauttmansdorffs and Waldstein-Wartenbergs, involving prominent Baroque artists. A unique feature is the preserved castle family theater from 1797. The castle was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1999. Last year, it was visited by more than 29,000 people, compared to around 50,000 in normal years before the coronavirus pandemic.
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