In the gallery in Plzeň, the region wants one-fifth from the state and 100 million from the city

Publisher
ČTK
17.02.2020 08:05
Czech Republic

Pilsen

Plzeň - The three-year construction of the new regional West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň, which was supposed to start this year, will only be initiated by the region as the founder if the state provides at least one-fifth of the costs. According to the project, the costs amount to 930 million CZK. After recent talks with the ministries of finance and culture, the outlook is promising, said the regional councilor and senator Vladislav Vilímec (ODS) to ČTK. The city of Plzeň must also contribute.


"I think we are on a good path to receive 20 percent from the state," he said. A decision is expected around mid-year. The region will now negotiate with Plzeň about its contribution. "The city also needs to contribute. For me, support of around 100 million is non-negotiable for the construction to proceed," he stated. The gallery will have the greatest benefit for the city, said Deputy Governor Marcela Krejsová (ODS).

"It is a very significant institution with around 10,000 collection items. Their value is estimated at one billion crowns," the senator stated. He spoke with the new deputy minister of culture Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD), to whom he delivered economic studies and other materials last week. "I believe that after the discussion with the deputy (Karel) Tyl, the finance ministry's perspective has probably changed as well, so it looks promising," he added.

The region has 12 million CZK in its budget for completing the implementation project, which should be finished by the end of the year. Then a competition will be announced for the construction contractor. According to Krejsová, the gallery ranks fourth in the National Investment Plan for culture and in the government’s program statement. "There has never been a permanent exhibition built in Plzeň; it is our debt to the public," she stated. The comprehensive collection of modern art from the 19th and 20th centuries, which has not yet been exhibited, is valuable. Krejsová pointed out that the current headquarters of the gallery at Masné krámy is not a gallery space but a marketplace.

Zaorálek stated in the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday that the ministry cannot provide hundreds of millions for the gallery. In connection with the National Investment Plan, a program for co-financing regional cultural infrastructure is being prepared. There are many requests. According to him, the Ministry of Finance has set a condition to limit co-financing to one-tenth, but the Ministry of Culture wants to negotiate an increase in co-funding to one-fifth. "It is evident that a similar project must combine funds from the city, the region, and the state," Zaorálek said.

According to Vilímec, the deputy finance minister wrote to the region that the state's share of ten percent is not strict, and it depends on the Ministry of Culture. The Ministry of Culture has had the region’s request since last November. Funding for the gallery would be spread over three years, and this year the region does not want anything from the state. This year, there are over 200 million crowns in the budget fund for the material and technical basis of regional cultural institutions.
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