The reconstruction of the former German Federal House in Slavonice has started

The largest private investment in Slavonice, a pilot project for the revitalization of historically significant buildings aimed at minimizing their energy demands (cheap and clean operation),… all of this is the reconstruction of the former community house - cinema in Slavonice. The project, with a total volume of nearly 60 million, supported by an EU grant, is being implemented by the local non-profit organization Slavonická renesanční, o.p.s., which has owned the building since 2006.

The extensive reconstruction of the building in the center of the Town Conservation Area will take more than a year. The result will be a clean, modern, and cozy facility that will be open to the general public daily. Primarily for educational and enlightenment purposes, as well as for cultural and social programs, there will be a background for social services, a Visitor Center for Grasel's Trails, etc.

"Slavonice is a city with a unique Genia Loci, a high cultural and artistic level, and is a unique bearer of 20th-century history. We want to creatively build on such values, interpret them, and contribute to their visibility. We seized the opportunity to obtain financing from an EU grant for a grand project, and we succeeded! The aim of our effort, aside from revitalizing the community house in the city center, is to encourage and strengthen everyone who has plans, visions, and dreams. The message is clear - if you want it, everything is possible," enthusiastically conveys Olga Žampová, director of SR, o.p.s.

"The total construction investment is nearly 40 million CZK and corresponds to the complexity and scope of the construction solution, which places significant technical and technological demands. This concerns the reconstruction of a building from the 1930s, which will be transformed into a low-energy standard building. There will be a hall for 100 visitors, offices, visitor facilities, and heating will be provided by renewable sources," explains one of the project authors, architect Jiří Opočenský. "The design for the building’s restoration combines seemingly incompatible elements - the original structure of the community house is complemented by contemporary architectural solutions that meet the stringent demands of heritage conservation in a Renaissance city and the requirements for a low-energy house. The building itself will be an attraction and will be adapted for teaching and tours. The outer face of the house, the facing masonry, reveals the changes the building underwent during the 20th century. The restored house will add a modern, and we believe sensitive, layer of architecture to the city of Slavonice," adds the second architect, Štěpán Valouch.
     
History of the project - saving the dilapidated former German Community House
The former cinema, previously the German Community House, was built from a collection of local residents in 1932. It primarily served to demonstrate Germanness in the then mostly German Slavonice /Zlabings. After the war, the building was taken over by the town of Slavonice and served as a community space until the 1980s. Concurrently with the construction of the Cultural House on the outskirts of the city in 1986, the reconstruction of the Community House - into a cinema was initiated. This was never completed, and the unfinished building deteriorated.
In 2002, a cooperation agreement was signed with the owner, the Town of Slavonice, and the local civic association SRS, which aimed to revive the building. The building was opened to the public in 2003. Later, cooperation with the Town was terminated, the cooperation agreement was revoked by a decision of the town council, and the building was offered for sale in an open bidding process. SRS, the civic association, as the persistent and sole interested party, purchased the building in 2005 for 2 million crowns. In 2006, the civic association initiated the establishment of a new organization - a public benefit company, which took over the building along with the obligations arising from its purchase and committed to breathing new life into the building.
Since 2003, when the former German Community House was first opened to the public, it has been an authentic venue for exhibitions, concerts, film screenings, theater, readings, workshops, discussion meetings, and many events in which the future character and purpose of the house were being shaped. In 2007-2008, an architectural study was developed, followed by project documentation. In the spring of 2009, the project obtained a building permit. The architects received the Hlávka Foundation award for the restoration project of the Community House in the Architecture Award 09 competition.
At the beginning of 2009, the funding application was submitted for the first time, refined, and then submitted again in January 2010. In the XIV. call of the Operational Programme Environment, the application was successful.
The goal of the reconstruction is to establish the facilities for an environmental center - for education, enlightenment, and other social activities. The luxurious grant, totaling nearly 60 million CZK (90% grant, 10% co-financing) includes construction costs, equipment, and two years of operation.