In Lednice, the repair of the riding halls will begin today, costing half a billion

Lednice - Today in Lednice in the Břeclav region, the reconstruction of the castle's riding halls and stables will begin. It will cost half a billion crowns, with 85 percent of the costs covered by the EU. The dilapidated building is larger than the castle. It is called the Palace of Horses. By 2014, a multifunctional center for exhibitions, concerts, social events, and environmental education will be created there.
      The Baroque building has been used since the early 20th century as a warehouse, gymnasium, or fire station. It is part of the Lednice-Valtice area, which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997. Lednice Castle is the most visited monument in Moravia, attracting about 330,000 visitors annually.
      The media compared the riding halls project to the reconstruction of Buštěhrad Castle in Central Bohemia, which is associated with the corruption case of the former regional governor David Rath. There are speculations that the riding halls project is overpriced. The South Moravian governor Michal Hašek (ČSSD) therefore requested audits of the plan from Minister of Culture Alena Hanáková (STAN and TOP 09) and Minister of Finance Miroslav Kalousek (TOP 09). It is not yet known when the results will be available.