Activists fear that valuable mills in Pardubice will be bought by an investor

Pardubice - Members of the Mlýny městu group are disappointed with the attitude of the Pardubice councilors, who did not decide on Tuesday about purchasing the national cultural monument Automatic Mills from Goodmills. The group, composed of representatives from cultural and non-profit organizations as well as city hall employees, spent about a year preparing materials for the council meeting, intending to transform the site into a cultural and educational center, the so-called Kulturfabrik. They are now concerned that a private investor will buy the mills, and the city will lose control over their use.
    "The councilors did not even acknowledge our report. It feels like a complete disregard for the entire initiative. Some councilors clearly did not familiarize themselves with it," said group member František Václavík today to journalists.
    According to Zdeněk Závodný from Divadlo 29, the materials prepared are complete and contain everything necessary for decision-making, including financing for the purchase and operation. However, the councilors did not form an opinion on the future of the Automatic Mills. "Their indifference struck me as very disturbing. It undermines the work of professionals, the public, and city employees," Závodný stated. All councilors had the materials available; the group had invited individual council clubs to the presentation of results, but attendance was low.
    Miroslav Janovský from the development and strategy department of the city hall pointed out that only the city can obtain European funding for the revitalization of the mills. Money for these purposes is designated in the Integrated Regional Operational Program. The Operational Program for Research, Development, and Education and the Integrated Territorial Investments program for the Hradec Králové region could also be utilized.
    On Tuesday, the councilors did not vote on the purchase of the mills for 25 million crowns, nor on a resolution that the transaction should be decided after the municipal elections.
    The mills were built according to the design of architect Josef Gočár between 1910 and 1925 for the Winternitz brothers, characterized by its brick masonry of light and dark bricks typical of Anglo-Saxon architecture. The buildings by Karel Řepa are of later date. This year, they were declared a national cultural monument. Further extensions date from the second half of the 20th century and are no longer under heritage protection.
    The group will strive for the new council, resulting from the October elections, to discuss the purchase of the mills. However, there will be little time for that, as the owner will wait for the city's decision only until the end of the year, according to Deputy Mayor František Brendel. "The new councilors must orient themselves in their field, and for us, it will be a challenging job to present the materials to them again," Václavík said.