Cultural Centre of the Plzeň Region Ltd. donated the dilapidated spa in Plzeň to the region

Plzeň - The Cultural Center of the Plzeň Region s.r.o (KCPK), entirely owned by the region, donated a dilapidated municipal spa building in Plzeň, along with the land, to the region. The region plans to transform the spa into a multicultural center, primarily for the West Bohemian Gallery (ZČG), along with halls, club rooms, and offices for various organizations. The donation was approved by the representatives. This simplified the financing of the reconstruction, said regional councilor Libor Picka (STAN) to ČTK.

KCPK is the new name for the company TWB Praha, which the region purchased last October along with the spa building for 120 million CZK. The managing director is Plzeň architect Hynek Gloser. KCPK will oversee the reconstruction of the historically protected spa from 1931.

"The region will now invest money through KCPK to repair the spa," said Picka. The regional administration has already allocated 100 million CZK in this year's budget for preparatory and demolition work. With the gratuitous transfer of the spa building and land to the region, funds can now be released. "Project design is already starting," noted Picka. Demolition of the former boiler room and steam facilities in the rear section will begin in the spring. The unused large spa building, which has marred the center of Plzeň for almost 30 years, is to be renovated by 2026. A tender for construction contractors should be announced by October.

New spaces for the ZČG will be created in the new annex. The new regional administration no longer counts on the previous leadership’s plan for a new gallery in the center of Plzeň U Zvonu, which had received building permits. Therefore, Plzeň will no longer retain the land in the center at U Zvonu for the region. "We no longer need it. We want to repair the spa and at the same time build a gallery next to it. We will not occupy another piece of land," said Picka. The region will not pursue the project for a new ZČG at U Zvonu.

The region is looking for grant opportunities from the Ministry of Culture, as well as from the Ministry of Industry, which supports the revitalization of brownfields, and also wants to obtain EU funds. Picka anticipates that for the gallery in the spa, he will utilize 170 million CZK that the Ministry of Culture previously approved. "We will establish the gallery at U Zvonu, but we are building it a few streets away, so why shouldn't we get that money? We have a decision on the allocation of the grant," he stated.

The region is currently negotiating the exact use of the spa building and spatial requirements with the ZČG and other organizations. "So that we can incorporate them into a study for Design & Build (a construction procurement method where the client specifies only the purpose and scope, and the contractor is responsible for both the project and construction), which we want to initiate as soon as possible," the regional councilor noted. According to the assignment from KCPK, designers and architects are working on a detailed study, which should be completed in the next few months. After consultations, the selected company will then renovate and reconstruct the spa in accordance with the study, which will expedite the construction, he added.