Seven applicants want to reconstruct the historical museum building

Prague - Seven candidates have applied for the tender for the reconstruction of the historical building of the National Museum in Prague (NM). The value of the contract is nearly three billion crowns including VAT. The envelopes with the applications for the selection process were opened today. CTK was informed by Milan Plaček, the deputy general director of NM. He did not name the candidates.
    After the envelopes are opened, the offers will subsequently be assessed and evaluated by the members of the committee established by the government last week, Plaček said. He expects that the committee will work for about four months. Among its nine members are representatives of the National Museum, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Culture.
    "The implementation of the contract will take 42 months from its commencement," he added. The deadline for the selection process has been postponed several times; initially, the envelopes were to be opened in August. The reconstructed building is to be opened in 2018, when the National Museum will celebrate its 200th anniversary.
    The National Museum announced the tender for the contractor on May 13, when it was published in the Public Procurement Bulletin. The government approved it on April 10 as an open selection process.
    The building will retain its original appearance, which was shaped by architect Josef Schulz, after the reconstruction. One of the significant elements of the reconstruction is the construction of an underground tunnel that will connect the historical building with the adjacent New NM building. Great care will be taken in the restoration of paintings, sculptures, and other elements of the national cultural monument. The reconstruction will improve exhibition, display, and operational spaces, with the total exhibition area increasing to 11,000 square meters.
    According to Plaček, applicants were required to provide, among other things, a list of buildings completed in the last five years and certificates from clients on the proper execution of the most significant ones in their applications. A prerequisite is also at least five works of a similar nature and scope carried out in the last five years. Of these, at least two must have involved the construction or reconstruction of a public amenities building for a minimum of 300 million crowns excluding VAT for each of them. Additionally, two construction works involving the reconstruction of a building that is a cultural monument for at least 100 million crowns excluding VAT.
    The building at Wenceslas Square has been vacated and closed since the summer of 2011. Funds for the repairs will come from the state budget from the chapter of the Ministry of Culture as part of the National Cultural Heritage Care Program. The preparatory phase cost 548 million crowns. This covered the costs of relocation, remediation, completion of depositories in Terezín, and adjustments to the New Building. Another selection process was announced for the restoration of sculptures and furnishings. In the upcoming year, architects for new exhibitions will be selected. Half a billion crowns has been allocated for their preparation, with the drawing schedule set until the end of 2017.