The government will approve the commission for bids for the repair of the State Opera

Prague - The commission that will evaluate the bids of candidates for the reconstruction of the buildings of the State Opera Prague will be reviewed by the government on Monday. The contract, valued at approximately one billion crowns, was announced in February, and the bidding period will not end earlier than at the end of June, likely somewhat later. The reconstruction of the buildings of the State Opera Prague is expected to last 27 months and is set to finish in 2018. Performances at the theater will cease at the end of this season, that is, in June.

The original date for the opening of the envelopes was May 20. "However, considering the requests for additional information from applicants according to the public procurement law, the deadline is being extended, which is not unusual for such a large contract," said Václav Pelouch, director of the technical and operational administration of the National Theatre, to ČTK.

Given that this is a significant public contract according to the law, the government appoints the evaluation commission, in this case at the suggestion of the Minister of Culture, confirmed Simona Cigánková, spokesperson for the Ministry of Culture, to ČTK. The proposal includes nine members and nine substitutes. Proposed members from the National Theatre are Václav Pelouch, Miroslav Růžička, Jana Dvořáková, and Tamara Čuříková, while Jakub Masák and Květa Střílková - Honzálková represent the architectural office Masák & Partner, Daniela Potkányová represents the Property Management Agency, and Milan Pokorný and Tomáš Urban represent the Ministry of Culture.

Jan Burian, the director of the National Theatre, previously stated that if no problems arise, construction would begin in the summer, at the latest at the beginning of autumn, after the current theater season ends.

Talk of the opera repair has been ongoing for years, and the price that the state is expected to pay continues to rise. The Ministry of Culture justifies the increase by stating that previous investment plans included only repairs of selected technologies and partial restoration work on the historic building. However, during the preparation of the project documentation, further deficiencies in the state of both buildings and the statics of the historic building were reportedly discovered. According to the ministry, a comprehensive reconstruction of both buildings is necessary.

The financing of the reconstruction is secured by the program Care for the National Cultural Heritage, which funds repairs or new constructions for several significant cultural institutions. It also covers the completion of the Hostivař depository for the National Library, the revitalization of Klementinum, and the reconstruction of the main building of the National Museum.