In the Pilsen spa there will also be a gallery, the region does not want a new gallery building in the center

Plzeň – In the dilapidated and unused city baths in the center of Plzeň, which have been neglected for 30 years and were purchased by the Plzeň Region for 120 million CZK on Friday, there will primarily be spaces for the West Bohemian Gallery (ZČG) and a hall for several hundred people. In the newly constructed four-story building, which will replace the boiler room and steam room in the back section, rare collections from unsuitable storage facilities of the regional ZČG will be housed. The regional authority does not plan to construct a new gallery in the center of Plzeň at U Zvonu, for which the previous regional administration had obtained a building permit. This was stated by Regional Councilors Josef Bernard and Libor Picka during today’s opening of the exhibition "Transformation of the City Baths in Plzeň," as reported by ČTK. The outdoor exhibition in front of the West Bohemian Museum can be viewed until the end of the year.

"We have chosen the concept of reconstructing the bathhouse into a facility for ZČG. We now have to focus on this project. Other options are really off the table. Primarily, we should take care of our historical heritage in the city, and then we can build new structures," said Bernard. He added that the region has reached an agreement with the new city leadership to mutually assist in the restoration of monuments, such as the baths and the cultural center Peklo.

According to Bernard, the baths will primarily be used by ZČG and regional organizations, while the multifunctional hall will serve the public. "Next year we will begin demolition work. We will now announce a tender for the contractor for the demolition work, for which we already have a building permit. At the same time, we will begin to change the documentation, which is currently for a nine-story residential building, but we want only a four-story new gallery," he stated. He aims to have the project modifications completed by the end of next year. "The reconstruction and construction will take approximately four years. Students entering their first year of high school today could have their graduation ball in the new building of the baths," he added.

According to Bernard, the investment for the reconstruction of the baths will not exceed the cost of a new gallery, which according to an updated budget would amount to 1.5 billion CZK in the most pessimistic scenario. "But we will have 50 percent more space in the baths," he said. According to architect Jan Soukup, whose office prepared a revitalization project for the former owner and a volumetric study for the region, the baths will cost about 1.2 billion CZK. "The region has the money, it's 300 million every year. Just this year, we have a surplus of about 600 million CZK, and reserves of one billion. We can afford it without significantly limiting the grant programs to the regions of the county. Of course, we will be exploring European grants and Norwegian funds," Bernard noted.

According to Picka, the region will allocate tens of millions CZK in next year's budget for the baths. "Over 20 million CZK is needed for demolition, and further funds will go towards projects. We will implement it economically but intensively and quickly. We will gain not only the gallery building but also a hall for graduation balls for students from the entire region and other events. At the same time, we will revitalize something that has long troubled Plzeň," Picka stated. He emphasized that this is not just a project for the city, but for the entire region.

"Since the 1950s, we have been discussing that we should build a facility for ZČG. For decades, this has not been successful. For the last 15 years, we have wasted time discussing constructing a new building, but political consensus has never been reached," said Bernard.

The gallery made of glass, concrete, and photovoltaic panels will be the most expensive part of the reconstruction, according to Soukup. "It will have a capacity similar to what the new gallery at U Zvonu was supposed to have, around 4,000 to 5,000 square meters," he noted. Modifications to the revitalization project of the baths, which the region also purchased, will require a so-called change of construction before completion, with the multifunctional hall being constructed first after the demolition of the boiler and steam room, and it will have a separate entrance, just like ZČG. The floor of the hall will be at the level of the previous water surface, and the above-ground gallery above the bath will be preserved. There will be over 90 parking spaces in the underground area below the gallery. "The walls of the baths will remain. It is high-quality reinforced concrete. But everything else must be addressed," he stated.

The region signed a contract on Friday to purchase the company TWB Praha, which had owned the baths for 15 years. The opposition ODS and TOP 09 consider the purchase to be non-transparent and risky. "We deposited the amount of 120 million CZK into a blocked account, and all contracts are signed. We are already the owners of the baths, we are just waiting for the registration in the cadastre," added Bernard. The baths, associated with a treatment institute, opened in 1931, have a heritage-protected pool and facade.