The children's pavilion from the grounds of the castle in Litomyšl will be moved to Liberec

photo: Tomáš Malý

Liberec – A children's pavilion made of glass and steel from the premises of the castle in Litomyšl will be moved to Liberec. It was purchased by the technical university. In the campus, the pavilion will serve preschoolers from the university's kindergarten as well as children from the surrounding area. The modern artwork caught the attention of the leadership of the Liberec university and will become a prominent artifact in the small park behind building G. CTK was informed by the university's vice-rector for development Radek Suchánek, who believes that the pavilion will be as popular with children as it was in Litomyšl.

The cubist-looking structure with a rope center was built next to the Renaissance castle in Litomyšl in 2015 as part of the renovation of the castle hill, funded by European funds. However, according to conservationists, such a modern structure does not belong next to a site listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After five years, when the project's sustainability had ended, they insisted on its removal. "We were surprised by that position," admitted Suchánek. The original structure was initially acquired by Ostrava, which offered more money. However, the city withdrew from the project due to complicated negotiations with the authors.

The Liberec university offered 100,000 crowns for the pavilion, but according to the vice-rector, the costs of its new placement may reach up to 400,000 crowns. However, the pavilion has the advantage that the authors planned for it to be disassembled twice a year – it is put up in the spring and taken down at the beginning of winter. "It is actually prepared for regular disassembly, which has never happened. Because of that, it will be easy. The longest pieces are about eight meters, there are six such sections, and the others are under three meters," added Suchánek.

The pavilion is expected to disappear from Litomyšl before the new tourist season starts, and the university must also modify the area where it currently stands and plant grass. At the same time, it must prepare the land where it will be moved. The pavilion should remain permanently in the small park near the campus. "We will see if we will take down the rope center for winter or not; that will be determined based on the experiences of our little users," added the vice-rector. If everything goes well, according to Suchánek, children might be able to start using the pavilion as early as next spring.