The restoration of monuments with EU funds will be completed by the end of 2014

Accessibility and new use of the National Cultural Monument Vítkovice - subsidy of 486 million CZK

Prague - Half of the projects in the field of cultural heritage, for which the Czech Republic received funds from European sources, will be completed by the end of this year. The remaining ones, with one exception, will be finished by the end of the following year. It is still unclear how much money from the EU will go to which projects in the next period. However, companies and organizations operating in culture across Europe should draw up to two billion euros (approximately 50 billion CZK) over the next seven years.
     Currently, three projects have been completed in the Czech Republic, including the renovation of the Tugendhat villa, certain facilities in Vítkovice, and the National Museum of Photography.
     The revitalization of a total of twenty historic buildings will cost more than six billion, with the Czech Republic contributing 15 percent to its financing. Ten projects are in the construction phase, and the Kuks revitalization project is being examined by the Office for the Protection of Competition at the request of some excluded applicants. The Supreme Audit Office has addressed some projects due to allegedly prohibited state aid, as funds were also allocated for the renovation of properties that are not cultural monuments. These include sites in Velehrad and Jindřichův Hradec. However, the Ministry of Culture repeatedly claims that assistance aimed at preserving cultural heritage does not affect competition; it consulted with the European Commission on this issue during the preparation of the program.
     Between 2007 and 2013, more than six billion CZK went into Czech culture through the Integrated Operational Program (IOP); the Ministry of Culture decided which projects would receive support. A total of 20 projects received subsidies ranging from 150 to 500 million CZK. The ministry has faced long-term criticism for directing European funds solely towards the reconstruction of monuments and not towards live culture, where the state has been cutting subsidies for several consecutive years.

Castle riding hall in Lednice (multifunctional center) - subsidy of 497 million CZK

     Support for infrastructure, so-called hard investments, should, according to experts, be complemented by soft investments, meaning support for entrepreneurship, skills development, and competencies. The content for properties that are being expensively restored with European money should be brought by live art, which, however, the state finances only from what remains from the co-financing of European projects, to which it committed itself years ago.
     It is still unclear where European funds will go in Czech culture from 2014 to 2020. "The Ministry of Culture is a member of working groups dealing with the preparation of the Integrated Regional Operational Program, the Operational Program for Science, Research, and Education, and the Operational Program for Entrepreneurship and Innovation for Competitiveness," Jan Vondryska from the ministry told ČTK.
     According to him, the office communicates with the ministries that are the managing authorities for the preparation of individual operational programs, namely the ministries of industry, education, labor, and local development. The Ministry of Culture, according to Vondryska, will build on the current program period in some of its priorities.
     "For the upcoming program period, general objectives have been set, including the renovation, revitalization, usability, and promotion of cultural heritage in relation to educational and social aspects, digitization of the cultural fund, and support for creative and cultural sectors," he stated.

Current status of projects funded by the Integrated Operational Program

Title	Recipient	Subsidy in million CZK	Completion
Accessibility and new use of the National Cultural Monument Vítkovice	Lower Area Vítkovice	486	31.12.2012
Accessibility and new use of the National Cultural Monument Hlubina - 1st part	Lower Area Vítkovice	192	31.12.2014
Stone and Light - Revitalization of the Interior of St. Barbara's Church in Kutná Hora	Roman Catholic parish of the Kutná Hora archdeaconry	154	31.12.2014
Velehrad	Roman Catholic parish of Velehrad	343	01.09.2013
Restoration of the Monastery in Teplá	Premonstratensian Canonry Teplá	500	30.06.2015
Castle Riding Hall in Lednice - Multifunctional Center	Multifunctional Center Castle Lednice	497	30.10.2013
National Museum of Photography and Tapestry Workshop	City of Jindřichův Hradec	154	29.02.2012
Centre of Glass Art Huť František in Sázava	Josef Viewegh Foundation Glassworks František	130	31.12.2013
Revitalization of Jewish Heritage in the Czech Republic	Federation of Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic	280	30.09.2013
Revitalization of the Castle Hill in Litomyšl	City of Litomyšl	399	30.11.2013
Tugendhat Villa	City of Brno	148	29.02.2012
Terezín - Project to Revitalize Historical Monuments	Terezín - City of Change	499	31.12.2013
Revitalization of the Monastery Complex in Český Krumlov	City of Český Krumlov	323	30.04.2014
Revitalization of Broumov Monastery	Benedictine Abbey of St. Wenceslaus in Broumov	249	31.12.2014
Centre of Architectural Heritage in Plasy	National Heritage Institute	392	31.12.2014
National Centre for Garden Culture in Kroměříž	National Heritage Institute	336	31.12.2014
Revitalization of Veltrusy Castle	National Heritage Institute	231	31.12.2014
Kuks - Pomegranate	National Heritage Institute	440	31.12.2014
Stiassny Villa	National Heritage Institute	179	30.09.2013
National Centre for Theatre and Dance in Valtice	National Heritage Institute	254	31.03.2015