Kolín will buy the bastion on Na Valech Street and connect it to the synagogue area with a footbridge

Kolín - Kolín will purchase the last preserved city bastion on Na Valech Street from a private owner. In the future, it intends to renovate it and connect it with Jewish monuments on Hradbách Street. The city has also negotiated access to the bastion from the synagogue complex, which passes through private land. The purchase of the monument, which is part of the medieval city fortifications, including the land for 355,000 crowns will be approved by the councilors on March 18. Mayor Michael Kašpar (Change for Kolín) said this to reporters today.

The city began negotiations with the owner about the acquisition of the bastion about three years ago. The originally proposed price was several million crowns. In addition to negotiations about the price, preparations for the purchase were also delayed by efforts to ensure access. "We were dealing with access to the bastion, so that it could be possible from the synagogue complex over the guard wall, which is about eight to ten meters, but these are not our lands, they belong to a third party," said Kašpar.

According to him, the city reached an agreement with the owner and established an easement for access across his land. "It will probably be some wooden footbridge, which has already been preliminarily approved by the NPÚ, but it will still need to be designed to fit into the historic center," added Kašpar. He stated that the easement agreement is closed and valid, and the city will pay 1,000 crowns annually for the easement.

The semicircular bastion near the Hankovec bakery at the now-defunct Prague Gate was part of the city's fortifications built in the 13th century. In 2020, the city also purchased two houses on Hradbách Street, namely the Jewish town hall and the rabbi's house. It is preparing their renovation and making them accessible as part of the Jewish circuit, which will be connected to the neighboring synagogue. Last week, Kolín launched a tender for the architectural study and project documentation for the renovation of the houses.