Repair of the material sampling facility in the area of the former textile factory in Krnov will begin next year

Krnov – The repair of the fabric sample room destroyed by fire in the grounds of the former Karnola textile factory in Krnov in the Bruntál region will begin next year. The work, valued at around 16.5 million crowns, is intended to address the emergency situation caused by an intentionally set fire in December 2017. CTK was informed of this today by the city spokeswoman Dita Círová. The so-called dezinatura was to be part of a large interactive museum project. However, the city ultimately stepped back from the plans. It even gave up the hundred million crown grant it received from the European Union. A smaller museum, however, is expected to be created there.

The city hall has announced a tender for the repair of the dezinatura building. The work is expected to be completed by mid-2022. "Construction activities will be primarily concentrated on the floor where the sample room is located. There will be a replacement of the beams and columns damaged by the fire, new floors and ceilings will be installed, and plans include the creation of replicas of the original matrix storage and the day room," said Pavel Hanzel from the Department of Investments and Property Management.

According to him, the ceilings will also be repaired on the ground floor and the floor above the dezinatura, where the builders will focus on replacing the flooring and repairing the steel windows damaged in the fire.

"In both above-ground floors, plastering and painting will also be carried out, replacements and repairs of door and window openings will be made, complete installations of high voltage electrical wiring including fixtures as well as low voltage electrical installations covering data distribution, fire signaling, emergency broadcasting, and security systems," Hanzel stated. The estimated cost of the work is 16.5 million crowns.

Before the selected company starts work, the technical service workers will clear out the dezinatura. In January, they will move all small equipment to the neighboring building. The machines that will remain in the workshop will be covered with boards to prevent further damage, and following the completion of the construction works, restoration should begin. In accordance with heritage conservation requirements, former adjusters of Karnola could renovate them to their original condition.

The fire and the water used to extinguish it also devastated a valuable collection of fabric sample books, pattern books, and other documents. Those that were salvaged returned last year from the drying chamber of the National Museum in Prague and are now being sorted into groups according to damage and historical value by the former head of the sample room, Jitka Navrátilová, who is also partially conserving them.

The building of the former spinning mill with the sample workshop was declared a national cultural monument by the government in 2010. The workshop designed patterns for produced fabrics for individual seasons. The sample workshop consisted of a complete set of mechanical and manual looms of various designs, weaving, knotting, and winding machines, and other essential workshop equipment. An integral part of the workshop was a valuable collection of fabric sample books, pattern books, and production regulations, the oldest of which dated back to the last three decades of the 19th century.

Before the fire that engulfed the former textile factory on December 20, 2017, the workshop was in the state of the last working day and represented a unique landmark in the country and Central Europe. According to the police, two schoolboys set fire to the building at several points. The fire caused damage of over 19 million crowns. It fiercely affected the rare fabric sample room, which was intended to serve as the main element of the museum.