The Zlín Great Cinema with the largest auditorium in the country will undergo renovations

Zlín - The Big Cinema in Zlín, which with 1010 seats is the largest cinema hall operating year-round in the Czech Republic, will undergo renovations. The cinema will suspend operations during this week, but it is not yet known when the reconstruction will begin and how long it will take, said Zdeněk Dvořák, spokesman for the Zlín City Hall, to ČTK. According to him, the supporting walls and roof of the cinema are in a state of disrepair.

The Big Cinema was built in 1932 by the Baťa company according to a design attributed to architect František L. Gahura. The original capacity of the auditorium was 2270 seats, which has been gradually reduced.

"The static assessment unequivocally recommends closing the Big Cinema, and we will do so in the coming days. Continuing operations would be hazardous, although an immediate collapse of the building is not imminent," said Deputy Mayor Patrik Kamas (ANO).

The intention to reconstruct the Big Cinema, which is a listed building, has been a topic of discussion for the city leadership for several months. "It has turned out that the Big Cinema is in even worse condition than we anticipated. There are numerous issues, such as overloaded supporting steel structures, inappropriate modifications made over time, and poor-quality and unprofessional welding," said Leopold Bednařík from the investment department of the municipality.

Due to the closure of the cinema, this year the international festival of films for children and youth, which has had its base there since 1961, will not take place. The festival traditionally started there. The city, which is a co-organizer of the event, is now looking for alternative venues.

It is not yet clear when the reconstruction of the building will take place and to what extent. "This will arise from the proposals that the city hall will have developed. The selected variant will also reveal the cost. It is expected that it will be at least in the tens of millions of crowns," said the spokesman.

The city hall will also close the building neighboring the city hall in Míru Square, which houses some departments of the municipality and a fast food outlet. The reason for this is also the poor technical condition of this facility. "The ground floor is made of unburned bricks, while the upper floors are made of fired bricks. Cracks have begun to appear in the walls, so we will vacate the building. Our departments will likely be moved to locations near Míru Square, and we will terminate the lease with the operator of Minutka," said secretary Helena Eidová.