In Zákupy, a part of the wall of the castle's economic courtyard collapsed

Zákupy - In Zákupy in the Českolipsko region, part of the wall of a dilapidated castle farmyard, which is a national cultural monument, collapsed today. No one was hurt. No one was in the rubble, said the regional fire brigade spokesperson Lucie Hložková to ČTK. Whether another part is at risk of collapsing is still unknown. According to Hložková, a structural engineer from the National Heritage Institute is expected to arrive on Friday. "To assess its condition," she added.

The farmyard is one of the most endangered national monuments in the Liberec region. It was established in the second half of the 17th century. It was designed by prominent Italian builders Giulio Broggio and Giovanni Domenico Orsi. According to heritage conservationists, the yard surpasses the adjacent Zákupy Castle in its historical value. It has been state-owned since 2003 and was already in a dilapidated condition at that time. About nine million crowns have already been spent on basic static stabilization, and it is estimated that 600 to 700 million crowns are needed for its complete restoration.

Around 5:30 today, part of the northwestern wall collapsed. According to Hložková, the firefighters had six units on site and their two dog handlers and one from the Prague Municipal Police, certified for rubble searching, searched the debris.

The castle's custodian Petr Weiss estimated that the collapsed part of the wall is about ten meters high and five meters wide. "We received a report from a neighboring property that part of the farmyard collapsed early in the morning. It is the barn wing. The corner remains, and one or two window axes fell from the top down," Weiss told ČTK.

Heritage conservators have been striving for the restoration of the farmyard for several years. They received a European grant of over 95 million crowns two years ago for the preservation of its most valuable part. "However, it does not concern this collapsed part," Weiss noted. In the first phase, the conservators want to save the former stable, which once housed up to 60 horses. Work is expected to begin this year, but so far no company has been found to carry out the repairs. The first tender was unsuccessful and must be repeated. The financial limit for the contract has been increased to 127 million crowns. The building of the former brewery, the stables, and the areas previously occupied by the castle's service staff also need reconstruction.