The temple will be renovated by a company that Kolín already has experience with

Kolín - The selection procedure for the contractor of the reconstruction of the Colín Cathedral of St. Bartholomew and its surroundings was won by the company BFK service, which has already carried out several reconstructions and constructions in Kolín. Winning the selection procedure was aided by a consortium with the company Gema Art, which specializes in the rescue and restoration of monuments. This was stated by Colín's deputy mayor Michael Kašpar (Change for Kolín) to ČTK.

The winning bid amounted to almost 60 million crowns including VAT, while the project accounted for around 90 million. The feasibility of the winning offer was confirmed by the bid from the company that finished second and was only one million crowns more expensive. The city received a grant for the reconstruction that will cover 90 percent of the costs.

The leadership of Kolín had already previously stated that the St. Bartholomew's Cathedral must be repaired by a company that has experience with repairs of monuments. At the same time, Kolín will ensure that conservationists oversee the work. The conditions of the public contract were set in such a way that the construction company had to cooperate with a conservation company. "The winning company certainly proved its qualifications," Kašpar said.

The BFK company has reconstructed, for example, the hospital's bachelor dormitory or the rectory opposite St. Bartholomew’s. They also built the tennis complex in Jezerkách, parking lots, reconstructed sewage pipelines, or modified the oncology department in the hospital. The conservation company Gema Art has been active in this area since 1990. The main activities of the company include restoration and complete construction work on heritage-protected sites, and it holds a license from the Ministry of Culture. The company has reconstructed, for example, the rotunda of St. Wenceslas in Prague, restored the grounds of Svijany Castle, or the complex of monasteries in Český Krumlov.

It is still unclear whether work will begin by the end of the year or only in the spring. The city must wait for the expiry of the period during which participants in the procedure can file a complaint, and for the tender inspection by the Regional Development Center before signing the contract with the winning company. The first phase is expected to take more than 1.5 years. The second phase, which will complete the ossuary and involve the restoration of the bones, will be a year longer.

The city will replace the pavement around the cathedral, install public lighting, add furniture, and reconstruct the buildings of the bell tower, ossuary, and old school. According to Kašpar, it is essential that the project has been developed for the entire area around the cathedral. A replica of an 18th-century classroom will be placed in the renovated building of the old school.

The Cathedral of St. Bartholomew in Kolín is a significant Gothic sacred structure. It was built in the second half of the 13th century, from which the three-nave architecture with a pair of octagonal western towers has been preserved. In the 14th century, Petr Parléř built a new, tall, cathedral choir with a ring of chapels. At the beginning of the 16th century, a bell tower was added.