People will see the work of restorers and new spaces in the renovated museum

Prague - The careful work of restorers, who are restoring many parts of the National Museum to their original form from the 19th century, as well as work on the most modern technologies, will be seen by visitors during Saturday's open house. The original flagpoles, which were lost in the 1960s, will return to the building, as well as historical fencing. Air conditioning, which has never been in the museum, is being installed. "It exchanges 80,000 cubic meters of air per hour," said Jan Kučera, the museum's construction director from Metrostav, to reporters on the construction site today.

According to him, the volume of air is approximately the same as that consumed by the City Tower skyscraper in Prague's Pankrác. However, after the reconstruction, the building should not have higher operating costs, as it is planned to be more energy-efficient. "We also expect that the museum will be more profitable," said museum director Michal Lukeš to ČTK. In addition to revenue from ticket sales, he anticipates that the building will be attractive for many social and cultural events; it has been a popular location for foreign film productions in the past.

The museum will have 1,300 kilometers of new cables, and according to Kučera, all of them are completely new, just like there will not be a single meter of original plumbing left in the building. There were no elevators in the building except for one technical elevator, but there will now be five plus additional service ones. Finding space for the elevators, as well as balancing the demands of heritage conservationists and firefighters, is one of the most challenging tasks, according to Lukeš. However, according to Kučera, safety considerations must prevail over the high demands of preservationists for the authenticity of the building.

The open house is a reminder of the 127th anniversary of the museum's accessibility, which first opened to the public on May 18, 1891. On Saturday, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., people will be able to follow the prepared route, where museum staff will inform them about the ongoing reconstruction.

Visitors will also see some parts of the construction and finished work that will not be visible after the renovation is completed. Kučera noted that the tour route is relatively physically demanding, as there will be temporary stairs to navigate. It should not be a barrier for school children, but strollers will not be able to pass through the construction. The route is planned to take approximately half an hour.

"It still holds that the building should be opened in partial operation on October 28. It will remain open until the end of the year and will be free for visitors. All occupancy permits are expected by the end of February 2019, and by the second half of 2019, 80 percent of the exhibits should be completed," said Lukeš.

The general reconstruction of the museum began in 2015, several years after the building was cleared out. Since its opening in 1891, it has not undergone a comprehensive reconstruction, having only three major repairs - after World War II, after August 1968, and during the construction of the metro in 1974. After years of preparation, the museum is now being renovated in its fourth year. According to Lukeš, the contract price of 1.64 billion crowns for the building's reconstruction has increased by additional work, amounting to 6.2 percent of the original price, or about 102 million crowns.