Hradec Králové - The extensive reconstruction of the Gayer Barracks in the center of Hradec Králové into a modern museum depository for 270 million crowns is complete. The construction work, which lasted from September 2019, has already finished, and the region will now furnish the building. By summer, employees of the East Bohemian Museum are expected to begin moving in, followed by the collections, said Dan Lechmann, spokesman for the regional authority, to ČTK. This is the largest investment project in culture by the region in recent years.
"The modernized building of the Gayer Barracks, including a new extension, has been approved, and we will now begin to furnish it with furniture and shelving systems for the museum depository," said Pavel Bulíček (Pirates), the Deputy Governor for Investments. Most of the reconstruction costs will be covered by grants from the European IROP program. Furnishing the building will cost an additional 57 million crowns. The depository will house about 2.5 million collection items that the museum currently has in temporary storage.
In addition to the complete reconstruction of the original barracks, builders also constructed a new extension in front of the building, which will contain research workspaces. During the preparation of the construction, archaeologists discovered remnants of the former Hradec fortress. Because of this, the extension had to be built on piles. Part of the excavations will be visible to visitors through a glass floor.
The museum is administered by the Hradec Králové Region, which is also the investor of the construction. Before the depository's renovations, the former barracks housed the East Bohemian Museum's depository and specialist workspaces, which are currently in temporary spaces.
The region also plans to reconstruct the neighboring Vrbenské Barracks, which, along with the Gayer Barracks and other buildings, forms a single complex. The aim of the region and the city is to create a museum campus with connecting spaces for cultural and other events.
In the area of the Gayer and Vrbenské Barracks, the company ISP Hradec Králové opened the Jana Gayera parking garage for 284 cars two years ago. The investment amounted to 135 million crowns. The company ISP operates the parking system in Hradec Králové based on a concession from the city. The barracks area also includes three former fortress buildings owned by the city. They house, for example, the vehicle registration office, the transportation department, and are leased by various commercial entities.
The main seat of the East Bohemian Museum is a Secession-style building designed by architect Jan Kotěra on Eliška's Embankment. The building, which is a national cultural monument, belongs to the city of Hradec Králové. The city renovated the museum at a cost of 100 million crowns between 2018 and 2019.
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