Příbram continues with partial repairs of the Ernestinum Castle

Příbram - Příbram will continue this year with partial repairs of the Ernestinum Mansion. It intends to ask the region for a half-million grant for modifications to the atrium, plans to repair the entrance doors, and is also preparing another phase of window replacements. This was announced to reporters today by Deputy Mayor Václav Švenda (TOP 09).

In the past, a major reconstruction was planned to transform the building into a cultural and social center and to make it accessible to wheelchair users. However, that is not currently realistic. "There are no financial resources for that at the moment, and in the foreseeable future, there won't be any either, unless a suitable grant title arises," Švenda stated. According to him, the city's aim is mainly to prevent the condition of the historic building from worsening.

According to councilor Václav Dvořák (ANO), the mansion has a moisture problem that needs to be addressed. The investment department should determine the main cause to ensure, as Dvořák said, that something that will be damaged again in five years is not repaired.

The Ernestinum Mansion is one of the historically most significant buildings in Příbram. Originally a wooden fortress, it was rebuilt in stone by Archbishop Arnošt of Pardubice. His successor, Jan of Jenštejn, fortified it with a wall and a deep moat at the end of the 14th century.

The building suffered considerably during the Hussite wars, in the 16th century amid the unrest of the townsfolk against the feudal administration, during the Thirty Years' War, and also due to many inappropriate building modifications. The building, located several dozen meters from T. G. Masaryk Square, currently hosts the František Drtikol City Gallery, an information center, and the Museum of the Third Resistance, operated by the Confederation of Political Prisoners of the Czech Republic.

A significant landmark of Příbram was originally named Ernestinum after its founder, later Marienburg, the name "Zámeček" was commonly used for many years, and a few years ago, the city returned to its original name. Today, the official name is Zámeček Ernestinum.