The cultural factory Světovar will open in a year, costing 136 million

Plzeň - In a year, the Cultural Factory Světovar will open in Plzeň's Slovany district, currently under construction for 136 million CZK in the former brewery and barracks. The building will include halls, a café, rehearsal rooms, studios, shared offices, apartments for artists, and the City Archive of Plzeň will find its home in two floors of the so-called former icehouses. The construction, supported by the EU with 40.5 million CZK, forms a key part of Plzeň's program as the European Capital of Culture, ensuring sustainability. This was stated to journalists by representatives of Plzeň 2015, which is overseeing the project for the city.
    "Demolition work, cleaning, and material removal are currently taking place throughout the entire site. The rough construction is expected to begin in mid-summer, and it should be completed in the autumn, followed by the furnishing of the spaces. We are managing to keep to the schedule," said site manager Jan Pavel. The city handed over the construction in mid-December 2013.
    "We perceive the space as a cultural factory where culture, the development of creative entrepreneurship, and the community life of the residents of Slovany and the entire Plzeň will meet," stated Jiří Sulženko, program director of Plzeň 2015. According to him, a fairly clear vision of the interiors is already in place, and their specific use is being prepared. "Meetings are ongoing with potential users who want to hold one-time events here, rent studios, or plan to participate in the creative incubator. Several have already said yes," he mentioned.
    According to project manager Soňa Rychlíková from Plzeň 2015, the dominant structure at the entrance to the cultural factory will be a glass extension with a café and a mobile terrace, which can also serve as an audience. The first floor is planned to have shared offices, ensuring that the building will be active daily, with meeting rooms and a large open space with workstations included. For instance, Czech Design is planning to have an office there.
    Other spaces in the complex will offer residential apartments for up to nine artists, rehearsal rooms, sound studios, an animation studio, a dance hall, an art studio, and more. The complex will feature a main hall of 600 square meters, a multifunctional hall, and other halls with exhibition space of about 400 square meters, primarily intended to provide support for interactive exhibitions for entire families. A smaller foyer is expected to serve film and theater productions and a more intimate program. There are also plans for a space for a permanent exhibition about the history of Světovar. Beekeepers plan to place hives on the roof. Events such as Dance Prague, the New Circus Festival, and the Festival of Non-European Cultures will be held there.
    According to Sulženko, the city does not plan to subsidize the operation of the building; it is expected to be self-sustaining, with public European funding potentially assisting. The estimated costs are around seven million CZK, but this will only be confirmed by trial operations. One of the departments of the city hall will manage the municipal building, while Plzeň 2015 will be the tenant for the cultural part.