Five years after the fire, the Castle in Zahrádky remains in ruins

Zahrádky (Českolipsko) - Five years will pass on Wednesday since the fire that destroyed the Castle in Zahrádky in the Českolipsko region. During this time, not much has changed on the historical building. The building has gained a temporary roof to prevent it from leaking, but otherwise, it remains in ruins. The restoration of the extensive complex will cost hundreds of millions of crowns. Charles University, which owns the property, tried last year to obtain funds for its repair from European funds, but so far without success. CTK was told today by university spokesman Václav Hájek.
    According to Hájek, the university approached several European funds last year. The castle's restoration project was evaluated positively, but due to its economic demands, it did not make it to the shortlist, and the school thus did not obtain the grant. "The university itself does not have hundreds of millions for the reconstruction of the castle, so we are looking for an investor who would reconstruct and operate the castle together with us, so that the operation aligns with the mission of a public university," said Hájek.
    The baroque monument from the second half of the 16th century is one of the most valuable objects in the Českolipsko region. Flames engulfed the castle on January 30, 2003. The fire broke out in the attic and gradually spread to the entire building. The roof and two additional floors collapsed during it. According to firefighters who fought the fire for several days, the cause of the fire was likely negligence or a technical fault. Only the perimeter walls of the castle remained, and it rained into the building for more than a year before it received at least a temporary roof. The fire caused damage amounting to more than 150 million crowns.
    According to Petr Feige from the heritage institute, the fire severely damaged the monument, especially depriving it of its unique mansard roof. Additionally, due to the humidity, wood rot appeared in the wooden structures. However, the fire also helped to uncover interesting things. "Wall paintings that had been hidden under plaster until then were uncovered, as well as external sgraffito, which are all the more interesting because they were inside the building,” said Feige. Therefore, heritage conservationists ordered a new architectural and historical survey, which is a prerequisite for preparing the castle's reconstruction project.
    At the end of last year, heritage conservationists placed the castle on the list of the most endangered monuments in the Liberec region. In total, there are 31 similar objects on the list. "We regret that no work has started yet to save the building, although we realize the financial demands of the project,” said Miloš Kadlec, director of the National Heritage Institute in Liberec, to CTK today. The slow progress of restoration work on the castle has disappointed local residents, although, as noted today by the mayor of Zahrádky, Ladislav Chvojka, a casual tourist may not notice at first glance how damaged it is. "The university takes care of the park, and at night the castle is even illuminated,” Chvojka said.
    The destruction of the castle paradoxically helps to save other monuments in the small village. Immediately after the fire, the authorities announced a public collection for its rescue, where 300,000 crowns were gradually collected. "The university is not interested in these funds because, compared to the reconstruction costs, they are negligible, so we agreed with the regional office that we would use them to restore two heritage-protected statues in the village,” said the mayor. Zahrádky has been a protected heritage zone since 1995 and has 11 heritage-protected objects within its area. In addition to the statues of St. Mayor and St. Archangel Michael, it also includes several rural homesteads, the Church of St. Barbara, a road bridge, or the Novozámecký pond.