Crematorium in Pardubice

Screenshot from the 40th minute of the film The Cremator (Juraj Herz, 1968)

One of the best buildings executed in the style of so-called rondocubism (arched decorative style).
Pavel Janák won the competition, which had more late-Cubist designs submitted. The facade is richly decorated with geometric patterns, which does not detract from the overall monumentality of the building, enhanced by the large staircase and the circular window in the tympanum.

The crematorium in Pardubice was built according to the design of architect Pavel Janák in the rondocubist style. The building was constructed by the firm Karel Kohout and Jaroslav Krupař from August 1922 to September 1923. The total construction cost, including the cremation facility and other accessories, amounted to 1.9 million CZK. At the foot of the main staircase, two light bearers sculpted by K. Lenhart guard the crematorium building. The eight-and-a-half-meter-high ceremonial hall is adorned with paintings by Professor J. Kysela. The first cremation equipment was built by the firm Rottenbach from Bern. It was reconstructed during its lifespan. In 1995, the cremation equipment in the building was decommissioned, and a new, connected crematory building was constructed. Until 1997, the crematorium building was owned by the City of Pardubice, which funded the replacement of the roof covering and the restoration of the original painting of the ceremonial hall for more than 5 million CZK in the same year. Since 1998, the owner of this building has been the joint-stock company Services of the City of Pardubice. With the change of ownership, a significant technical and construction renewal occurred, and during the first five years, new cooling chambers and a freezer were built. A new morgue lift was installed. A general reconstruction of the electrical distribution preceded all this. The social facilities for employees were renovated. Significant costs were invested in eliminating the building’s ground dampness. More than 4 million CZK was spent on these repairs. In 2004, a decision was made regarding the further repair and modification of the crematorium building. The initial phase of the overall renovation was the design solution developed by the design office of Ing. Miloslav Jelínek from Chrudim. Over the next five years, a small ceremonial hall, a waiting room for mourners including social facilities, reconstruction of the entrance staircase, adjustment of the attic for storing floral tributes, and the establishment of a new officiant's office in connection with the newly equipped waiting room for the closest relatives were built. The final phase was the installation of a lift for immobile mourners. In 2009, the overall reconstruction, valued at nearly 20 million CZK, was completed with a general restoration of the facade.

1918 – decision to establish a crematorium
1919 – design by architect Pavel Janák selected
1921 – construction of the crematorium begun
1923 – first cremation performed
1958 – building included among immovable cultural monuments
1995 – technology relocated to new premises
2004 – gradual reconstruction begun
2009 – reconstruction completed
2010 – crematorium declared a national cultural monument

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> Pardubice - attempt at the first Czech crematorium [Markéta Svobodová, 15.1.2007]