Some citizens of Český Krumlov are considering launching a fundraiser for the renovation of the House of Art

České Budějovice - The timeline for the renovation of the House of Art in České Budějovice is still unclear, and city leadership insists on a delay. In contrast, supporters of the renovation from the initiative House of Art urged for the continuation of the project at today's council meeting, as it is part of the concept of České Budějovice as the European Capital of Culture 2028. If the city does not start the renovation this year, they want to, for example, announce a public collection for the repairs.

"No one is canceling the renovation, just delaying it in time. No one is interrupting the Gallery of Contemporary Art and Architecture that is in the building and will function next year as well. We have other priorities right now, finances for kindergartens, for waterworks and sewage. And the House of Art, in our opinion, is not in such a state that it needs renovation this year or next,” said Deputy Mayor Petr Maroš (ODS).

Mayor Dagmar Škodová Parmová (ODS) reiterated that the city has commissioned a study for the utilization of all spaces for culture, and the results will be available at the turn of April and May. Then a decision will be made regarding the House of Art, which is located in Přemysla Otakara II. Square.

At today’s council meeting, several citizens of České Budějovice spoke. They wanted to answer, among other things, the question of why the city leadership had quoted higher amounts for the renovation. "Why did they say it would cost 150 to 250 million CZK? This is the argument on which the renovation crashed. It turned out that this number is false, and we wanted an explanation. But that did not happen. We will therefore pursue other ways to achieve the renovation, such as writing a letter to the Minister of Culture or announcing a public collection for repairs,” said Michal Hořejší, co-founder of the initiative House of Art.

The councilors of České Budějovice did not have an agenda item regarding the House of Art. At the beginning of the meeting, councilor Juraj Thoma (HOPB) wanted to include this item as new. "The project itself for the renovation will cost almost 90 million CZK excluding tax. When we add equipment for the interior spaces of about 20 million CZK and VAT, we could get a total of 140 million CZK, but that would be spread over three years,” Thoma added. He pointed out that in 2020, the city council adopted a resolution approving the funding for the renovation of the House of Art. Thoma's proposal for discussion did not pass, 11 councilors voted for it, 17 against, and the rest abstained.

"The House of Art originally had a proposed renovation, which we disagreed with, as the building seemed poorly utilized. Therefore, we looked for another form and wanted to bring the Small Theater ensemble there, which is why the amounts increased to those 150 million and more,” Maroš told ČTK.

The city announced an architectural competition for the House of Art in 2020. According to the proposal, the building was to house an information center, gallery, educational center, offices, interactive space, rooftop terrace, and social and technical facilities. The project has documentation prepared with an issued building permit. The project has an approved grant of more than 20 million CZK.