Reconstruction of the Castle Brewery in Litomyšl

From History
In the area of the later castle, there stood a Premonstratensian monastery in the Middle Ages, founded sometime between the years 1145-1150. When Charles IV established the bishopric in Litomyšl in 1344, he donated the buildings of the existing monastery to this new institution, whose members simultaneously became canons of the bishopric chapter.
We have a specific report about it (the existence of a brewery) from 1552 in an inventory created in connection with the pledge of the Litomyšl estate to Jaroslav of Pernštejn.
In 1629, the city of Litomyšl granted Vratislav Eusebius of Pernštejn the right to brew beer in exchange for confirmation of his privileges. The noble brewery in the "enclosure" was probably small, which is why Vratislav Eusebius expanded it by adding to the site of three demolished burgher houses. The new part of the brewery was completed in 1630 (J. Křivka, Litomyšl estate during the Pernštejns, p. 33).
In 1728, the brewery with a malt house, official apartments, and the neighboring riding hall burned down. Repairs were carried out according to the designs of F. M. Kaňka.
The castle and its adjacent buildings were again damaged by a fire in 1775, during the time of Count Jiří Kristián. Repairs began in 1776 and continued until almost the end of the 18th century. According to the construction accounts from 1777-1783, the then-Lichtenstein architect Jan Kryštof Fabich provided designs for the repairs and reconstructions of the castle and other buildings damaged by the fire.
When, after the end of World War II, the National Cultural Commission took over the Litomyšl Castle from the National Administration of the Litomyšl Estate, the castle brewery was completely disregarded, even though all subsequent uses of the castle area were motivated primarily by the fact that Bedřich Smetana was born in Litomyšl, and even though he was born right in the castle brewery. According to a record from April 29, 1947, the economic buildings in the castle area, i.e., the brewery, riding hall, stables, pigsty, and shed for the stables, were transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture, so the complex, which had until then been managed uniformly, fell into dual administration, which often had completely opposing views on its use.
In 1957, work on the repairs of Smetana's apartment commenced rather slowly, and it was to be carried out by the District Construction Combine of Litomyšl.


Current Use
In 1999, the Litomyšl Castle and its entire complex were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 2000, an agreement was reached between the city of Litomyšl, represented by the mayor Ing. Miroslav Brýdl—owner of the castle brewery, the Central Management of the YMCA with its director Ing. Jana Vohralíková, and the Restoration School in Litomyšl for joint use. The largest
part of the spaces of the castle brewery, according to the agreement, will be used by the YMCA for its European center. A smaller part will be provided to the restoration school for the needs of the sculpture studio. Additionally, the area will include the "Smetana's Litomyšl" center, social halls used by the city, Bedřich Smetana's birthplace, two service apartments, one guest apartment, and the depositories of the State Institute for the Care of Monuments.
The YMCA will conduct educational, developmental, and spiritual activities in its premises, which stem from its mission as a Christian association of young people and the largest youth organization in the world. This will be facilitated by several multifunctional halls, accommodation spaces, and a small administration.

Main Principles of the Proposal
1/ Do not destroy the integrity of the monument (monument of industrial architecture). Utilize all preserved constructions and their remains.
2/ Use new architectural elements to gently declare the new function and new use of the object.
3/ Prevent homogenization of historical references and new interventions - maintain the correct proportion between the old and the new.
4/ Restore the lost monumentality and significance of the dominant Baroque composition to the western façade.
5/ Do not weaken the possibilities for new meaningful functional use at the expense of architectural-artistic and heritage prejudices.
6/ Through qualitative transformation of the object, strengthen and influence the quality of the surrounding urban environment.