Six companies want to repair the burned-out part of the Krnov textile factory Karnola

Krnov - Six companies have applied to fix the burned-down part of the former Krnov textile factory Karnola, which was announced as a city contract. A contract with the selected supplier is expected to be signed within a month. The work worth 16.5 million crowns will begin this year. Their aim is to remove the emergency condition of the fabric sampling building's structure. This was reported today by the city spokesperson Dita Círová. The fire occurred in December 2017 and was a deliberate act.

The so-called 'dezinatura' was supposed to be part of a larger interactive museum project. However, the city ultimately abandoned the plans after the fire. It even gave up a hundred-million crown grant received from the European Union. But a smaller museum is supposed to be established there.

Preparatory work on the reconstruction began in January. Employees of the Technical Services of Krnov cleared the 'dezinatura' and parts of the adjacent buildings of the former Karnola, which were damaged by fire four years ago. This created space for the necessary repairs to commence.

In addition to the workers from the Technical Services of Krnov, the cleanup was also assisted by Karnola machine operators Josef Vojkůvka, Rudolf Klimenko, and Jiří Šurman. They worked with the machinery in the textile factory. They are currently responsible for cleaning the textile machines and equipment that will remain in the 'dezinatura' even during the repairs. "Right now we’re doing it roughly, but once the builders finish their work, we will clean each machine in detail, to the extent specified by the heritage experts," said one of the operators, Vojkůvka.

The repairs following the fire in the 'dezinatura' will include replacing floors, ceilings, beams, and columns damaged by the fire. The plan includes replicas of the original pattern warehouse and a daily room. Ceilings will also be repaired in the ground floor and the upper floor above the 'dezinatura', where builders will focus on replacing the floor and repairing steel windows damaged in the fire. In both above-ground floors, they will also carry out plastering and painting. Plans include the replacement and refurbishment of door and window openings, complete installations of high-voltage electrical wiring including fixtures, as well as low-voltage installations that include data distribution, fire alarm systems, evacuation announcements, and security systems.

The government declared the building of the former spinning mill with the sampling workshop a national cultural monument in 2010. The workshop was used to design patterns for the produced fabrics for individual seasons. The sampling workshop consisted of a complete set of mechanical and hand looms of various constructions, winding and warping machines, and other necessary workshop equipment. An integral part of the workshop was a valuable collection of fabric samples, design books, and production regulations, the oldest of which dated back to the last three decades of the 19th century.

Before the fire that engulfed the former textile factory on December 20, 2017, the workshop was in the state of the last working day and represented a unique entity both in the country and in Central Europe. According to the police, two schoolboys ignited the building at several locations. The fire caused damage exceeding 19 million crowns. It fully impacted the rare fabric sampling workshop, which was meant to serve as the main element of the museum.

The fire and the water used to extinguish it also devastated the valuable collection of fabric samples, design books, and other documents. Those that managed to be saved have already returned from the drying chamber of the National Museum in Prague and are now being sorted into groups based on damage and historical value by the former head of the sampling workshop, Jitka Navrátilová, who is also partially conserving them.