Heritage protectors and the state guarantee the rotary in Český Krumlov until 2008

Prague - The National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) signed with the consent of the Ministry of Culture an annex to the contract with the city of České Budějovice, which allows the operation of the Český Krumlov rotunda and the rental of spaces in the Belárie summer palace until 2008. The annex supplements a previously signed contract that postponed the demolition of the rotunda until 2009. Pavel Jerie, the authorized director of NPÚ, said this today to ČTK. According to him, there was confusion regarding the contracts and deadlines.
    Disputes between the heritage protectors and the city or theater members regarding the permanence of the rotunda in the garden, which is part of the Český Krumlov castle listed on the UNESCO list, have been dragging on for years. The rotunda was created in the park in the late 1950s despite protests from conservationists. The UNESCO committee also points out its existence - urging the Czech Republic to remove it from the park, or to propose some alternative solution for its permanence in the location. The most recent call was received by the Czech Republic after this year's resolution of the World Heritage Committee from Vilnius; it is to respond in January 2007.
    "In 1993, a contract was created between the city of České Budějovice and the local branch of the then State Institute of Cultural Heritage for the rental of spaces in the castle garden for the operation of an experimental rotating auditorium. The contract has been variously amended and gradually transferred to the successor, i.e., the National Heritage Institute," said Jerie.
    In 2000, conservationists stated that the operation of the rotunda should end in 2002. According to the then Minister of Culture Pavel Dostál, the rotating auditorium disrupts the environment listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2002, the councilors of the South Bohemian region supported the permanence of the rotunda in the garden; later, Dostál proposed that the rotunda be transferred to the Prague National Theatre, which would ensure its demolition and the construction of a new auditorium. This was not agreed upon by the South Bohemian governor.
    In 2004, the term for the operation of the rotating auditorium and the original contracts ended. At the request of Dostál, it was extended by an annex until this year, stating that operations would end on September 30, the rotunda would be dismantled by the end of the year, and by the beginning of the next season, the environment would be restored to its park-like condition, Jerie recalled.
    "In 2003, a new contract was concluded, which determined the terms for dismantling. This contract was first extended by Minister Jandák, but since he was not an authorized subject, my predecessor, former NPÚ director Tomáš Hájek, later extended it with two annexes," said Jerie.
    These annexes state that the rotunda is to be dismantled by the end of 2008 and the land adjusted by the beginning of the 2009 season. "But the rental and operation contract for the rotunda ended this year. They extended not the contract for performing in the rotunda and its function, but the contract for dismantling," he explained. The newly signed annex aligned the deadline of the dismantling contract with the end of performances.
    The city of České Budějovice plans to announce an architectural competition for a new form of the rotunda. This plan is also supported by Minister of Culture Martin Štěpánek, while the mayor of Krumlov defends that the rotunda should remain in the garden, which is not dismissed by the mayor of Budějovice either. Representatives of both cities would like to preserve the theater tradition in the garden. However, according to Jerie, the opinion of the World Heritage Committee is clear - it demands the removal of the auditorium from the park. Jerie suggests building a new stage behind the garden.