<hr> Hrabal's cottage will open to the public on February 5th, the anniversary of the writer's death. <hr>

Kersko - The cottage of Bohumil Hrabal in Kersko near Nymburk, which was purchased by the Central Bohemian Region at the end of last year, can be exceptionally visited by the public on February 5 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The location, where the writer lived and created, will be accessible to people on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death, which falls on February 3. Jan Vinduška, the director of the Polab Museum, which is involved in preparing an exhibition about the writer for the region, informed ČTK.

"People may be disappointed with how it looks now, but it is truly in the condition in which the original owners left it; moreover, the actual handover only took place a few days ago," Vinduška said today. According to him, the property has deteriorated since Hrabal's death, and the previous owners only performed minimal maintenance. The modifications aimed at restoring the cottage to the condition it was in when Hrabal stayed there are planned by the region for next year. In addition to the museum, the Memorial of National Literature will also collaborate on the preparation and operation of the exhibition, which is set to open in 2024.

The exhibition is expected to include Hrabal's personal belongings, and it will also utilize so-called augmented reality to enhance the spaces with additional interesting features. A new building with facilities for visitors will be created on the site. The local history museum in Nymburk, which is part of the Polab Museum, has long managed a permanent exhibition of Bohumil Hrabal. Part of it, especially items directly from the cottage, will be transferred to the original premises in Kersko. Among the exhibited items could be Hrabal's typewriters, accumulation stoves, or a bicycle.

The Central Bohemian Region purchased the cottage for 9.9 million crowns, negotiating the original price down from nearly 12 million, which the owners demanded through an advertisement last July.

The opening of the writer's cottage on the first Saturday of February from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM is part of a memorial event "25 Years Without Hrabal," organized by the Bohumil Hrabal Readers' Club.