The East Bohemian Gallery presents the building of the Sokolovna

Pardubice - The East Bohemian Gallery in Pardubice continues its architectural exhibition cycle. After the Grand Hotel and the district house, it presents the building of the gymnasium until September 4, which is more than 90 years old and has recently undergone an expensive reconstruction. Curator Marie Jiráková said this to journalists today.

The Sokol organization in Pardubice was founded in 1863, a year after the establishment of the Sokol movement. Initially, Sokol members trained in temporary premises, and they had a summer gymnasium from 1879 to 1885 at Olšinky. They wanted to build their own gymnasium in 1914, but the outbreak of World War I interrupted the construction plans. In the post-war years, the membership base of the organization significantly increased. While Sokol had 152 members in 1882, the number rose to 1995 by 1921.

The organization obtained the land at Olšinky from the city as early as 1912. In 1921, a fenced training ground was created there. In the same year, the organization received a subsidy from the city, and two years later, the new gymnasium was ceremonially opened. "The building comes with new elements, such as the western facade, where modern tendencies that emerged in the 20s and 30s appear," said Jiráková.

The building was designed by Prague architects Václav Šantrůček and Antonín Mendl in a modern style with classicizing elements. A two-story building was created on the site of the training ground, with a floor plan in the shape of the letter H. It is smaller than originally planned. "Firstly, the funds were insufficient for the Sokol, and secondly, housing construction began to develop there. The construction of the gymnasium was not received well in the city because the Sokol received the land, which was not favorably accepted by the people and other organizations," explained the curator.

The gymnasium then cost nearly three million crowns, and the Sokol received 250,000 crowns from the city, with about 170,000 crowns saved. Nearly every member lent money to the organization, contributing to the building's financing.

From 2013 to 2015, the Sokol secured European funding for the repairs of the dilapidated building. They opened it with a one-year delay. Construction work was delayed because the building was in worse condition than the projects indicated. The final cost of reconstruction rose from the originally estimated 90 million to 128 million crowns.

"The reconstruction was incredibly sensitive, the original ceilings, doors, and tiles have been preserved. There are only minor construction modifications," added the curator.