The competition for the revitalization of the Grand Cinema in Zlín will start with a tour

Zlín - The competition for modifications to Zlín’s Great Cinema will begin on Friday with an introductory workshop where participants will tour the cinema's spaces. The mayor, Jiří Korec (ANO), informed the media today. The monumentally protected Great Cinema, built in 1932 by the Baťa company, has been closed since March 2016 due to structural issues.

The competition will take the form of a so-called competitive dialogue. "Although a competitive dialogue is more complex and time-consuming than a traditional design competition, it is a more open process that allows the jury to actively intervene in the form of the proposal during the competition. We also wanted to open the possibility for international participants to engage more easily,” stated Korec.

According to the city council, there was considerable interest in the competition, with dozens of applications received. Six teams, including foreign ones, advanced to the finals, selected based on references. All applicants had experience with the reconstruction of significant public buildings. "These are knowledgeable studios that have worked on large contracts, often billion-dollar constructions,” the mayor's deputy Pavel Brada (ANO) said.

"Participants in the competitive dialogue will be able to tour the Great Cinema with the structural engineers who conducted the survey. They will also attend a lecture on art historical contexts and familiarize themselves with the criteria for heritage protection that the National Heritage Institute will require," said the mayor's deputy Miroslav Adámek (STAN). Representatives from the Congress Center and the Zlín Film Festival will also share their ideas for future use.

In addition to city representatives, the jury of the competitive dialogue will include experts, Belgian architect Pierre Hebbelinck, architectural theorist Vladimír Šlapeta, Slovak architect Martin Jančok, Zlín architect Jitka Ressová, and art historian Jana Kostelecká. The winner is expected to be announced next September.

The costs for the competitive dialogue, including external administration and rewards for the competing teams, are nearly five million crowns. The estimated costs for the cinema's reconstruction are 250 million crowns. The tender conditions include preserving the cinema hall and adding other functions. Creating a museum of cinematography was also considered. It is also necessary to expand the facilities.

The building suffered several impacts during the bombing of Zlín at the end of World War II. During later renovations, the loading on the load-bearing structure was disproportionately increased, and it was also unprofessionally altered. The original seating capacity reached up to 2270 places, gradually reduced to the current 1010 seats, making it the largest cinema hall with year-round operation in the country.