In Hradec Králové, the historic White Tower reopened after renovation

Hradec Králové - Hradec Králové today opened the historical White Tower, which is a symbol of the city, after a year and a half of reconstruction. Thousands of people came to see the ceremonial opening of the 16th-century building in its center, with lines forming for tours of the tower. The tower, from which there is an excellent view of the hundred-thousand-strong Hradec Králové and its surroundings, will be open year-round, always from 09:00 to 18:00. This was stated by the city hall spokeswoman Magdaléna Vlčková.
    The city hopes that annual attendance at the 72-meter high building could rise from the previous 24,000 visitors to 50,000. The main novelty in the renovated tower is a multimedia information center inside the building, which features 14 monitors with a total projection area of 16 square meters, fifty speaker systems, and 465 lights.
    A ton-weight glass model of the tower inside the building attracted great attention from visitors today. After restoration, a rare clock mechanism from 1829 also returned to the tower as an exhibit, which is probably the largest preserved clock mechanism made in the Czech lands. The device served in the tower until 1987, when it was replaced by an electric machine. A new annex with a ticket office was created next to the tower, so visitors enter the tower via one route and exit via another. This is also the reason for the reduction in the number of steps in the tower from the original 233 to 226 for the ascent and 220 for the descent.
    During the ceremonial opening today, the bell Augustin, which is among the largest bells in the Czech Republic, rang again after a year and a half in the fourth floor of the tower.
    The costs of repairing the tower reached 53 million crowns excluding VAT. Nearly two-thirds were covered by grants from EU funds. According to the original plans, the current reconstruction was supposed to be completed by last year's December 5. However, due to the poor condition of the bell tower, the reconstruction was extended into this spring.

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