Znojmo will renovate the halls in the Louka Monastery, starting with the restoration of the plaster decoration

Znojmo - Znojmo will repair the small and large hall in the extensive Loucký Monastery. Restoration of the stucco decorations on the ceilings will begin in November. The work will last approximately a year, and the city will pay 2.2 million crowns for it, said city spokesperson Petra Šuláková in a press release.

The halls host weddings, concerts, exhibitions, and conferences, and they will remain in operation during the restoration works. "Our goal is to restore the original luster of these majestic spaces. The stucco decorations are in poor condition. Some of the stuccos are already peeling, and some elements need to be replaced with new ones," said Mayor František Koudela (ODS). The stucco decorations date back to the 1850s when the former monastery hosted the Imperial-Royal Engineering Academy, the highest military technical school of the entire Danube monarchy.

The city has embarked on the repairs to preserve cultural heritage while maintaining the historical authenticity of the halls. The Loucký Monastery previously received a new roof, and for several years the city has been restoring or replacing windows in phases, which is a time-consuming and financially demanding process due to the monastery's size. It also includes an old school that was transformed into a community center with a spacious hall after renovation two years ago. This year, a reconstruction of the riding hall, costing more than one hundred million, also began.

Znojmo acquired the Loucký Monastery from the state in 2010; it is a cultural monument. After the abolition of the Premonstratensian monastery by Emperor Joseph II at the end of the 18th century, the building served the Austrian army and later the Czechoslovak army until the 1990s.