Architectural study for a new pool in Český Krumlov will be completed in January 2025

Český Krumlov – The architectural study of a new aquacenter and outdoor swimming pool in Český Krumlov will be conducted by the association of companies VMS projekt and Relaxsolution. The price is 2.1 million crowns, and the study is to be completed in January 2025. Afterwards, the town hall will decide whether to commission a project and construction or to have one contractor handle it in a Design and Build mode, Deputy Mayor Zbyněk Toman informed ČTK today. During the study's preparation, they will rely on a feasibility study for a new pool from 2018. The original swimming pool burned down in a fire on September 7 and 8 this year.

"One possibility is to design and build in-house. The second option is to engage in design and build, where the contractor executes both the project documentation and construction in one contract. The second option is faster in terms of time, but it is more demanding for the overall project assignment," Toman stated. According to him, preparing the entire project documentation including the necessary permits will take about a year, and the actual construction around a year and a half.

The architectural study is the first stage of project documentation, in which the basic location of the project and the overall shape and layout of the building are determined. "In the next phase, either a tender will be held for a contractor only for the project documentation, or a contractor will be selected in the Design and Build mode," Toman added.

The city aims to complete the complete project documentation including the building permit and any contractor selection in Design and Build mode by approximately the middle of 2026. The actual construction would last until the end of 2027 and the preparation and start of operation until the middle of 2028. "If everything goes ideally, we should be open around the middle of 2028," Toman said.

The investment in the new aquacenter is estimated to be around 500 million crowns. The city will seek funding from various sources, including grants from the National Sports Agency.

The original pool was opened in 1992. The annual attendance was approximately 75,000 people. Schools and kindergartens currently go for swimming training in Větřní and Frymburk, and from spring in Lipno nad Vltavou.

The original swimming pool burned down in two days, on September 7 and 8. According to the police, a fifty-three-year-old employee of the company responsible for operating the swimming stadium apparently mishandled fire while dealing with a wasp nest and caused a fire in the roof. The fire penetrated the roof into the interior, affecting the swimming area and the supporting structures. A piece of the roof collapsed into the pool. Firefighters had to break through a glass wall of windows. The fire also affected the outer wooden cladding. Twenty-two fire units responded to the scene. Firefighters declared the third level of fire alarm out of four and called in a drone to locate hotspots.