The firefighters will blow up another part of the former UP factory in Bučovice

Bučovice - The oldest production building in the central part of the former furniture company UP in Bučovice, Vyškov region, will soon be torn down. Just like at the end of June, firefighting demolition experts will enter the site, who will demolish the three-story reinforced concrete part of the building as part of their training. This was stated in a press release by the city hall spokesperson Martina Hašková. This year, the city bought the area for 27 million CZK, and a residential zone will be created on the site.

The six-hectare complex has been deteriorating since 1995 when furniture production ceased there; the city purchased it from a private owner in the winter. It contains three main buildings and about 15 smaller ones. Bučovice already began clearing work in the spring, and a demolition company entered the site in July. Workers have already cleared the building where veneer was once processed. "On Monday, August 6, the demolition experts will take over. They will remove the remaining part of the hall, approximately 60 meters long and about 20 meters wide, including the basement areas," Hašková described.

By the end of September, all construction debris will be removed from the area, and the site will be filled with earth. The costs for cleaning the central part of the area are estimated at 4.2 million CZK; the total costs for demolition and clearing the area will amount to about 25 million. The only building that is not expected to be demolished is the so-called Drucker Villa, which is meant to remain a reminder of the former glory of the company.

Firefighting demolition experts practiced at the former UP facilities already at the end of June. They used 15 kilograms of explosives on the building without a roof and with three outer walls. Together with them, scientific staff from the VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava and the Ostrava-Radvanice research institute also utilized the area for experiments with explosives. During August, firefighting dog handlers plan to practice in the location as well.

The factory in Bučovice was among the top in furniture production in the former Czechoslovakia, and it was part of the United Applied Arts Factories based in Brno. The conglomerate had other factories, for example, in nearby Rousínov, in Koryčany in the Kroměříž region, or in Uherský Brod. The factory in Bučovice specialized in bedrooms, but after the fall of communism, it could not secure their sales.