The Plasy Monastery completed a major renovation of the abbot's residence for 201 million crowns

Plasy - A new visitor circuit focused on the noble Metternich family will open on July 21 at the Plasy Monastery in Plzeň. It is in the new prelate residence, the complete restoration of which, valued at 201 million crowns, was completed by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) after more than two years. The Metternich Castle circuit is the first of its kind and has no equivalent in its concept at any other state monument in the Czech Republic, said Oldřich Pešek, deputy director of the NPÚ, to ČTK today.

The extensive restoration included the repair of the old abbey buildings, the new prelate residence, and part of the gardens. After the monastery was abolished, the abbot's residence became the princely seat of the Metternich family in the 19th century, architect Zdeněk Chudárek noted.

The new circuit, authentically equipped with furnishings from the second half of the 19th century, will allow people to walk through it independently without a guide and experience life from the perspective of the nobility or perhaps castle staff. "In this installation, various subliminal pieces of information are very sensitively hidden on different materials, which provoke visitors to reflect on their own and perceive the interior themselves," said Pešek. The exhibition's author, Stanislava Beránková, added that the monument's managers wanted to provide visitors with space. "We wanted to offer them freedom, not to impose information on them, but to allow them to piece together and choose the information themselves," she said. Visitors can comfortably sit in replicas of Metternich furniture in the salon. For just under twenty rooms, restorers restored over 300 items of inventory.

The original budget for the repair of the abbey residence was around 120 million crowns; high construction costs and necessary additional work arising from archaeological discoveries during construction ultimately raised the cost to 201 million crowns, of which 102 million was an EU grant, with the remainder coming from national sources and funds from the heritage institute. The archaeological survey revealed, for example, the discovery of an underground corridor from the 15th century in the courtyard of the prelate residence or a ten-meter pit containing a hundred items that testify to the lives of the monks at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. An exhibition on the architectural and historical development of the monastery and the archaeological research will be set up in the cellars. The center of the restored abbey garden is a fountain that has regained its original baroque form. The garden will be completely restored in 2025, including a gazebo and the ambulatory aisle.

According to NPÚ director Naděžda Goryczková, the reconstruction is a significant step towards the overall restoration of the monastery complex. "Thanks to the restoration of the abbey residence, previously inaccessible spaces, a new tour route, and a visitor center are opened to visitors," she stated. According to Minister of Culture Martin Bax (ODS), the monastery is a monument whose significance far exceeds the borders of the Czech Republic.

However, the restoration of the complex is far from over, warned Peter Pavelec, director of the NPÚ regional heritage office in České Budějovice. Repairs on the roof and clock tower of the granary, including securing its stability, are ongoing, as is the long-term demanding restoration of the underground system, which is crucial for the Plasy complex.