The repair of the castle hill in Litomyšl is delayed

Litomyšl (Svitavsko) - The extensive and costly renovation of the castle hill in Litomyšl has been ongoing for a year. However, due to the archaeological research, which was interrupted last November, construction work has been delayed. The project, for which Litomyšl received a grant from European funds, must be completed next year.
     "Unfortunately, we have not made much progress, we are not even halfway. One stable building is completed, work continues on the others," said Jan Křístek from Hochtief, the contractor for the construction work, to ČTK.
     The renovation of the hill includes the repair of seven historical buildings and four open spaces, as well as restoration work. The first courtyard, brewery, stable, riding hall, upper courtyard, carriage house, stables, park, Piarist college, and church, along with the area in front of the castle, are to be restored. Everything is to be completed by 2013. The majority of the 400 million crowns needed for the repairs has been obtained by the city from European funds. The project is the largest investment in the modern history of Litomyšl.
     Due to a lack of funds, the archaeological company Labrys halted the rescue research at the end of last year. According to the Archaeological Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, the city underestimated the scope and cost of the work on the monument listed on the UNESCO list. The construction company Hochtief had only about five million crowns for archaeology in the project's budget, which critics argue may have helped it win the tender. The town hall recently selected the Labrys company again for the continuation of archaeological work in the tender, with costs amounting to 20.66 million crowns excluding VAT being covered from the project's reserve.