Repair of Zdík's Palace is delayed; it will be open even during the season

Olomouc – The planned reconstruction of one of the most valuable Romanesque monuments in Central Europe, the Zdík Palace in Olomouc, is being postponed. It was originally expected to begin in July, but problems with the tender process have arisen. The company that won it backed out before signing the contract, so a new tender process is now underway, said Tomáš Kasal, spokesperson for the Museum of Art, to ČTK. The Romanesque bishop's palace, which forms a tourist-attractive complex with the Archdiocesan Museum, will thus be open throughout the season.

According to Miroslav Kindl from the Museum of Art, construction will start no earlier than this October, but he estimates the start to be more likely in November or December. "In tender processes, this happens; it's not a problem. A postponement of a few months is currently insignificant. The Zdík Palace will thus be open throughout the season and until the end of September. In case of nice weather, we will keep it open even during October," Kindl told ČTK today.

The planned renovation of the Zdík Palace on Václav Square should, in the future, make previously closed areas accessible to visitors. The reconstruction, which is financed from the ITI budget of the Olomouc agglomeration, will be carried out according to the design of architect Jan Šépka and will cost 50 million crowns. A new exhibition should be created, for example in the attic of the chapter buildings, where visitors will become acquainted with the architectural and chronological development of the Saint Wenceslas Hill in Olomouc, one of the three most important hills that shaped the city and continue to shape it today. The new insert is to distinguish itself from the original architecture through materials - glass, concrete, and steel, which were not used in the Middle Ages.

The creation of the Romanesque bishop's palace, formerly known as the Přemysl Palace, is related to the construction of the Church of St. Wenceslas, which was founded by the Olomouc prince Svatopluk in the early 12th century. The construction was completed by the Olomouc bishop Jindřich Zdík, one of the most significant figures in Czech history of the 12th century, who is regarded as the son of the chronicler Cosmas. Next to the church, he had a representative palace built, which was adjoined by a smaller rectangular cloister and a chapter house intended for the communal life of the priests. The palace was then rebuilt several times.