The Region and Karlovy Vary have agreed on a change to the project of the Imperial Spa

Karlovy Vary - The Imperial Baths in Karlovy Vary, which are undergoing reconstruction, will have a different roof than the project anticipated. According to an agreement between the region, which owns the building, and the city, the interior atrium should be covered by a full roof. This would allow for broader use; the atrium would thus become an interior space, said the governor of the Karlovy Vary region, Petr Kulhánek (for STAN), to journalists.

According to Kulhánek, the project had so far considered the atrium more as an exterior space. "I see this as a tremendous advancement. We are in agreement with architect Petr Hájek and the city. I am very pleased about this because the added value has significantly increased," Kulhánek stated. The city of Karlovy Vary plans to install a new multifunctional concert hall within the atrium, for which preparations are underway.

According to the mayor of Karlovy Vary, Andrea Pfeffer Ferklová (ANO), the city proposed the change in the roof structure in connection with the preparation of the hall's construction.

"Fortunately, the region agreed because it recognized that the use would definitely be better with this change," Pfeffer Ferklová said, adding that the change should not affect the completion date of the reconstruction.

Currently, the project documentation is being adjusted, from which an estimate of the additional costs arising from the change in roof technology will emerge. According to Kulhánek, they also consulted the change with heritage conservationists, who welcomed it.

The long-delayed reconstruction of the Imperial Baths is expected to cost 829 million crowns and will last until mid-2023. The region has allocated 350 million crowns from its budget for the repair, with an additional 100 million being gradually allocated from the budget of Karlovy Vary. The rest is expected to be covered by state subsidies.

Opposition councilor and former governor Jana Mračková Vildumetzová (ANO) criticizes the changes to the project during the construction. "This intention could delay, halt, or even increase the cost of the entire project to repair the Imperial Baths," Mračková Vildumetzová stated. "The councilors now want the roof to be non-glazed. The change will cost approximately seven million crowns in design costs, and ultimately the implementation price could be much higher. Moreover, no one from the regional leadership knows whether a subsequent change to construct the hall will be supported by a positive binding statement from the heritage conservation authorities and other stakeholders," the councilor warned. According to her, there is also a risk that the region may lose state subsidies.