In the area of the Plasy Monastery, there is a new center for building heritage

Plasy (Plzeň Region) - A unique Center for Construction Heritage has commenced operations today in the former agricultural facilities of the monastery in Plasy, located in the Plzeň region. The center for documentation, presentation, education, and research in the field of construction history was opened in the renovated heritage-protected spaces by the National Technical Museum (NTM), said NTM director Karel Ksandr during the center's opening today.
    Establishing the center in the site of the exceptionally valuable monastery in Plasy was a demanding task and will bring the museum an expansion of exhibition spaces outside of Prague, new opportunities for engaging with visitors, and the integration of exhibitions with educational and research activities, noted Ksandr. In 2008, NTM took over significantly dilapidated buildings. The project, co-financed with EU funds, was renewed in two phases. First, the former brewery, malt house, and mill were restored, followed by the agricultural courtyard. The total costs exceeded 350 million CZK.
    A permanent exhibition has been created in the renovated brewery, which aims to present the historical development of building elements, materials, and constructions in an attractive and clear manner. "We are not focusing on the architectural form and artistic expression of elements that would classify them by styles, but rather on principles, technologies, and the evolution of the processing of these elements throughout the centuries," said project coordinator Pavel Kodera. According to him, the purpose of the center is to restore and save historic objects and fill them with the otherwise underutilized rich collections of the NTM's construction fund. Visitors can familiarize themselves with building materials such as wood, stone, and clay. On the different floors of the brewery, they will observe the development of construction systems from foundations and rough structures to surface treatment, types of windows and doors, and roofing. Part of the exhibition will be dedicated to the principles of statics. A construction playground has been prepared, especially for children.
    The themes presented in the exhibition are further documented by a study repository. A view of modern architecture will be provided by the Jan Kaplický cabinet on the top floor of the brewery. The exhibition in the brewery is followed by the renovated mill, which will be used for thematic exhibitions. The first one, from Wednesday until the end of November, will focus on lime, lime technologies in traditional construction, and the methods of craft production of lime and its processing.
    "While the brewery area is primarily a museum, the agricultural courtyard area is a space for interactive work and presentation of crafts as well as their practical utilization," said Kodera. In the courtyard, the center offers craft and experiential workshops, such as carpentry workshops, brickmaking, stone masonry workshops, masonry workstations, a unique historical plumbing workshop that has been in operation since 1873, a blacksmith shop, a foundry, a stucco worker's station, or a pipe maker's station. In the workshops, guides will explain how things worked, visitors will also be able to try their skills, or they can sign up for upcoming workshops and learn some techniques during day or weekend courses, explained Kodera. In the garden, a simple kiln for firing bricks and lime has been constructed.