The construction of the main part of the congress center in Zlín will start next year

Zlín - The final stage of the construction of the congress center in Zlín is expected to begin at the start of next year. Builders are currently completing the technologically demanding underground part of the building. By the end of November, the city hall will know the results of the tender for the supply of the superstructure. The congress center could thus begin operating in the first half of 2009. CTK was informed of this today by the mayor Irena Ondrová.
The congress center will create a new complex in the city center together with the university center. The university section will include a library, an auditorium, and lecture halls. The part intended for congress purposes will have a hall, and the Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic will be based there as well. The university will complete its part of the construction in January. The total investment will require approximately 450 million crowns, most of the costs will be covered by a grant from the Ministry of Education.
The Zlín city hall has divided its part of the complex into several stages. The costs for project preparation, relocation of engineering networks, and construction of the underground part, where parking spaces will also be located, amount to about 180 million crowns. The city hall has received approximately 40 million from the state. According to Ondrová, the construction of the upper part will require at least half a billion. "We will try to obtain part of the funds from grants," the mayor stated.