Ministry of Culture: The rotating auditorium should be moved from the garden

Český Krumlov - Minister of Culture in resignation Ilja Šmíd is in favor of moving the rotating auditorium in Český Krumlov from the castle garden to the site of the former garden center. The state should contribute about one third of the costs for the new rotating stage. Smíd said this to ČTK during the government visit to South Bohemia while touring the rotating auditorium. Jaromír Talíř (KDU-ČSL), the deputy mayor of České Budějovice, estimated the costs for the new stage at hundreds of millions of crowns when asked by ČTK today.

Heritage conservationists have long stated that the unique auditorium built in the era of socialist Czechoslovakia disrupts the character of the castle garden. This fact is also pointed out by the international organization UNESCO, which has listed Český Krumlov since 1992.

"First and foremost is UNESCO; if we respect UNESCO, then it has to be removed. As a viewer, I would prefer it to be here, but as a person who has to decide on this, I must respect all objections that start with UNESCO. From the perspective of operation for both the audience and the theater, it is impossible to create sufficiently quality conditions, which is possible in the event of relocation. Personally, I currently lean towards moving it," said Smíd. He reviewed the current stage and the possible new location today during a rehearsal of the play The Lost World.

The new rotating stage, whose design should come from an architectural competition, wants the South Bohemian Theater to move to the theater complex at the former garden center. This would expand the castle garden into this theater complex, which is currently an unmaintained area behind the wall of the castle garden. The current rotating stage belongs to the city of České Budějovice.

Minister Smíd stated that the state divides all similar investments into thirds, with one third paid by the state, one third by the region, and one third by the city. "In this mode, this could be considered," he said regarding the costs of the new rotating stage. As Průdek added, the new stage could be based on the design of set designer Joan Brehms from 1972. It would have two auditoriums, between which there would be a chamber playing space.

The move to the site of the former garden center, where most of the land belongs to the city of Český Krumlov, is also supported by heritage conservationists. "This project was already verified in 2005, and even during the UNESCO monitoring mission in 2007, it was approved as an acceptable and positive alternative, almost the only one, since it also takes place within the protective zone around the UNESCO heritage site. In my opinion, this is the only compromise, good option for the future of the rotating auditorium," said Pavel Slavko, the custodian of the Český Krumlov castle, to ČTK today.

The South Bohemian Region does not agree with the move of the stage from its current location in front of the Bellarie summerhouse. The head of the regional department of culture and heritage care, Patrik Červák, stated that this would dismiss the phenomenon of the rotating auditorium in the garden.

One of the previously mentioned options was that the new stage would remain in front of the Bellarie summerhouse and be lowered underground. However, Minister of Culture Smíd cannot imagine such a solution, for instance, due to high costs. "For people, in ten years it will be 'Spanish village' whether the 'rotating stage' was here or ten meters further," believes Smíd.

The South Bohemian Theater, which will open its season with the premiere of the horror Dracula on the rotating stage on Wednesday, has a lease agreement with heritage conservationists for renting the garden until the end of 2020. The original rotating stage first turned 60 years ago, on June 9, 1958. The revenues from the rotating stage last year were 32.9 million crowns, an increase of 4.5 percent year-on-year, attracting 56,528 spectators. Money from the stage makes up to 75 percent of the total ticket sales revenue of the South Bohemian Theater for the entire year.