Choltice want to repair the dilapidated castle with the help of grants

Choltice - The town of Choltice in the Pardubice Region wants to gradually transform the early Baroque castle into a cultural and social center, where exhibition circuits will continue. The only financial assistance so far seems to be state grants for the rescue of architectural heritage. The grant amounts are not high, which is why repairs may take up to two decades. This was stated today by the mayor Tomáš Bolek (SNK).

The town allocates about one million crowns annually from its budget for the repair of the castle, which according to the mayor is not very noticeable in the end. The town hall would need to invest more money. “They fix a piece of the truss that visitors don’t even see; we spent 300,000 crowns on the lighting in the chapel. It’s very demanding for us; we need any help,” said the mayor. The town has a budget of 45 million crowns this year and also other investment obligations, he added.

The municipal council will be tasked in the first quarter to discuss and approve the future use of the castle; the materials will be provided to the designer, who will process them. The document will be the basis for a grant application published by the Ministry of Culture. Choltice will submit it this autumn. According to the mayor, financial support is not very high, but it will help the town hall gradually repair the monument, even though it will take a long time. Local authorities contribute their budget money to the grant, he added.

The castle now has two parts: exhibition and commercial. In the part rented out by the town, there is a restaurant and a space for disco parties. The mayor does not consider musical productions for young visitors to be a suitable activity for a heritage-protected castle.

“Disco is a huge relic for us. Young men and women from the surrounding area come here, not just locals. The cultural added value is zero; I would say it’s negative. We would like to have a normal community hall for balls, cultivated entertainment, lectures, and conferences,” said Bolek. According to him, the restaurant should remain in the service offerings.

The mayor sees suitable use of the castle in a combination of exhibition halls, which are already working well, supplemented by a community cultural center, which would extend beyond Choltice, he stated.

According to the mayor, the castle is gradually falling into disrepair. The town cannot afford larger European grants; the applicant's co-payment is around 20 percent, which would mean tens of millions of crowns. The town does not have that. The list of necessary repairs is extensive, said Bolek. “The roof structures are in poor condition, the castle is damp from below, the electrical installation is aluminum, the roof is repaired only to the extent of one-fifth, the facade is bad,” said the mayor. According to him, the chapel has never been restored, and it will require tens of millions of crowns to do so.

Choltice has owned the castle since 2007, when a 15-year court dispute with the heir of the last owner, Count Berthold Thun-Hohenstein, ended. The monument is early Baroque and originated in the second half of the 17th century.

The castle is accompanied by an English park, which transitions into a 70-hectare game preserve with ponds. There are mature oaks, plane trees, and hornbeams growing there; the preserve is a nature reserve. The councilors will also discuss the park. “The park is well-maintained and in very good condition, but it has not been returned to its historical state before World War II; there were nooks, places for rest. We will propose a partial revitalization of the park,” said the mayor.