The construction of the municipal library in Turnov for 111 million CZK is expected to begin in April

Turnov – Construction of a four-story municipal library in Turnov for 111.2 million crowns will likely begin in April. The city received no objections regarding the results of the supplier competition and on Thursday invited the winning company to sign a contract. The city hall will hand over the construction site 15 days after the contract is signed. The mayor of the city, Tomáš Hocke (Independent Block), informed journalists about this today. The contract was awarded to the Czech branch of the Polish company Bielskie Przedsiebiorstwo Budownictwa Przemyslowego (BPBP), which will be working for the Turnov city hall for the first time.

"It is a company that operates a lot in the Mladá Boleslav area," the mayor said.

Turnov evaluated six bids for its largest contract in the last eight years, with BPBP offering the lowest price. The company will have 600 days to build the library. Considering that it is a construction project in the city center, it will not be easy according to the mayor. "The construction site is in a prominent location. The whole building (the new library) is made of exposed concrete, which means moving heavy materials across the square," he added.

The city needs to build a new library because the current one does not have sufficient capacity, lacks adequate sanitary and visitor facilities, is missing a community hall, and is not accessible for people with disabilities. Turnov has received a European grant for the construction of the new building, roughly 68 million crowns from the IROP program.

The Antonín Marka Municipal Library in Turnov is one of the oldest in the country, celebrating its 205th anniversary next year. Its relocation from Jeronýmova Street has been discussed in the fifteen-thousand population city for over 15 years. The new building will be a few hundred meters closer to the center, on Skálova Street between the summer cinema and the house Na Sboře. Since 2010, a tree named Knihovník has been growing there, planted in the hope that the city would someday have a new library.