For the Krumlov turntable, the final deadline is 2016

Prague/Czech Budějovice - The rotating auditorium in the castle park in Český Krumlov is, according to an agreement, to remain in place until 2016. Its removal is, however, a condition for Český Krumlov's continued presence on the prestigious UNESCO list. The South Bohemian Theatre, as its administrator, is now concluding an annual contract with the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) regarding its operation. The Ministry of Culture expects this will remain the case until the mentioned year. It denies information from today's Právo, according to which the Czech state wants to remove the auditorium by the end of this year.
    Despite the mentioned agreement, there are occasionally reports about the unclear fate of the auditorium, which complicates the activities of the South Bohemian Theatre. In recent years, the auditorium has ceased to be merely of interest to theatre enthusiasts and spectators, but especially before the last parliamentary elections, it also became a political topic.
    "I have an increasingly strong feeling that behind the efforts to eliminate this cultural phenomenon are, rather than UNESCO, some Czech officials,” said Juraj Thoma, the mayor of České Budějovice, to whom the auditorium belongs. He reportedly approached Minister of Culture Václav Riedlbauch and invited him to a performance at the rotating auditorium to form his own opinion.
    České Budějovice and Český Krumlov are also bothered that the South Bohemian Theatre has been excluded by the Ministry from preparations for the UNESCO meetings in Seville. "Ironically, the National Heritage Institute expects proposals for further action precisely from local authorities and wants them to solve the situation," emphasized Thoma.
    The mayor of Český Krumlov, Luboš Jedlička, also reminded that in polls, 97 percent of respondents expressed support for the auditorium, and the ministry should take public opinion into account. "The rotating auditorium simply belongs to Krumlov. The garden in this form is less than 300 years old, with the auditorium standing there for over 50 years, which is already a long time considering the 'life of the park',” said South Bohemian Governor Jiří Zimola.
    The removal of the auditorium was agreed upon by the state and UNESCO after Český Krumlov was included in the World Heritage list in 1992. It was supposed to be removed by 1999, but the Ministry of Culture decided to extend its lifespan initially by five years; later the deadline was pushed to the end of 2006, and Minister of Culture Vítězslav Jandák (ČSSD) postponed the end of the current auditorium by two years in January 2006; Jandák will want to defend his mandate in the early parliamentary elections and will lead in South Bohemia. In 2007, Minister Helena Třeštíková presented a timetable that plans to remove the auditorium from its current location by 2016.
    Today's Právo reported that the Ministry of Culture wants to propose the removal of the rotating auditorium by the end of this year at the current UNESCO committee meeting in Seville. According to Právo, the first deputy Minister of Culture František Mikeš (ODS), who was a former mayor of Český Krumlov, sent the report to Seville. However, the ministry denied this.
    According to spokesperson Jan Cieslar, in a regular monitoring report for UNESCO, it stated that the period of use of the auditorium was extended last year until September 30, 2009, and "the timelines for subsequent steps have also been extended accordingly." "It is a regular annual extension, which is carried out by a decision of the building authority of the Municipal Office in Český Krumlov,” added Cieslar.
   "The rotating auditorium belongs to Krumlov and has become a traditional matter over the years. It is our wish that the auditorium remains in the city and that we find, together with the UNESCO authorities, a solution that will be acceptable to both sides,” added the ministry spokesperson.
    Last year, more than 55,000 spectators attended performances in the garden of Český Krumlov Castle. Since the start of operations in 1958, the auditorium has offered over 2,810 performances that have been seen by more than 1.7 million spectators.