A fence has begun to grow around the closed Great Cinema in Zlín

Zlín - Around the Zlín Great Cinema, which has been closed since this spring due to poor structural conditions, a fence began to be erected today for safety reasons. It will be finished by Thursday, said city hall spokesman Zdeněk Dvořák to ČTK today. The city intends to restore the interior of the building in the future, so the external appearance of the building will not be changed, which, with 1010 seats, is the largest cinema hall in annual operation in the Czech Republic.

The load-bearing structure of the building is in a critical condition; however, there are currently no plans for the cinema's restoration. "The costs for saving this historically valuable building have not yet been quantified. It is estimated that it will amount to tens of millions of crowns," the spokesman stated.

The city wants to prepare options for possible uses of the building and its reconstruction. "At this moment, the prevailing opinion is that the cinema could serve more functions than it has so far. The specific purpose will emerge from future discussions," said the mayor's deputy Patrik Kamas (ANO). Along with the fencing, there will also be traffic signs near the cinema to alert on the fence.

The Great Cinema was built in 1932 by the Baťa company according to a design attributed to architect František L. Gahura. The original capacity of the auditorium reached up to 2270 seats, which was gradually reduced to the current 1010 seats.