In the Plasy monastery, a regional repository for Plzeň heritage protectors was established

Plasy (Plzeň Region) - The National Heritage Institute in Plzeň (NPÚ) has completed a study repository for movable collections in the convent of the Plasy monastery for over 20 million CZK. It will serve to preserve items from the Plzeň region that, for various reasons, did not make it into the exhibitions of castles and chateaus. Last October, a repository was established at Kynžvart Castle in the Cheb region for the Karlovy Vary Region. Both projects were supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, with 15 percent contributed by the Ministry of Culture. CTK was informed by Ludmila Drncová, director of NPÚ, which manages 13 monuments.
    "The movable collections (SDMF) from regional monuments had so far been stored in temporary spaces. While they were suitable, they were not adequate for professional handling of collection items," she added.
    The new facility will further methodically supervise preventive care for the movable collections of sites managed by the heritage institute, as well as those owned by churches, municipalities, and similar entities. The repository in Plasy aims to preserve "items" in the best possible condition. "Often, they are not suitable for display on the tour routes of castles and chateaus, are damaged, await restoration, and therefore require increased care," the director added.
    The Plasy repository currently holds around 15,000 items ranging from furniture to weapons, paintings, porcelain, and documents. Among the interesting collections are panel Gothic paintings originally from Rabí Church, which require extreme attention to maintain stable humidity and temperature. A valuable set of liveries from the Kladruby Monastery, that is, well-preserved examples of the clothing of the Windischgrätz family staff, is also noteworthy. Unique are the collections of Czech porcelain and glass from the chateau in Chudenice and a collection of linen from the 20th century.
    The NPÚ has been preparing repositories with study rooms since 2006. They will be open to the professional public by appointment from 09:00 to 14:00, Wednesday to Friday, as will the spaces in Kynžvart.
    Both monuments have undergone demanding restoration work since the end of 2008. Plasy has additionally received a new elevator for transporting items as well as for visitors on tour routes. This has made accessible the courtyard between the convent and the church, referred to by experts as a textbook of architecture. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary has also been open to the public since May. Through the SDMF project, 22 rooms in Plasy have been restored, several baroque elements have been restored, and one of Santini’s oval staircases has been completed, accounting for about half of the unutilized floor of the convent.
    Heritage conservators plan to use further funding to make the other half accessible. The new open repository aims to present items in an interesting and playful manner, as visitors to the monuments are not used to seeing them.
    The repository at Kynžvart Castle was opened on October 1, 2009, at a cost of 9.5 million CZK. Among the more than 20,000 items are collections of thousands of paintings, hundreds of pieces of furniture, porcelain, military and hunting weapons, and a numismatic collection. Among the rarest items is the Kynžvart daguerreotype, declared a national cultural monument. It is a still life from 1839 featuring an artistic studio and a handwritten dedication by the author (Louis Jacques Mandé Daguerre) to Chancellor Metternich. Heritage experts are currently preparing conditions for its public access.