The railway hotel in Pardubice has become an educational center for the Railway Administration

Pardubice - The functionalist landmark of Pardubice, the former railway hotel, has undergone an expensive reconstruction. The hotel has become an educational and economic center of the Railway Administration (SŽ). The organization invested 574 million crowns, said SŽ director Jiří Svoboda to reporters today.

"We have long struggled to find and train new employees. All our training was fragmented across the country. The building includes training rooms, and we plan to have IT classrooms. Without such initiatives, we have no chance of attracting new employees," said Svoboda.

On the ground floor of the former hotel, travelers will find a restored restaurant, while the other parts serve the Railway Administration, with the former buffet on the ground floor transformed into a staff canteen, and a space that previously housed the Sirius cinema now serves as a multifunctional hall. There are classrooms, rooms, and accounting offices on the upper floors.

The repair is evaluated by Minister of Transportation Martin Kupka (ODS) as very sensitive, and he considers the change in the building's function to be purposeful. "We are truly lacking specific professions in the railway sector, the ability to bring experts to the railway and provide them with the necessary training. This is a key condition for maintaining a long-term competitive Czech railway," said Kupka.

The construction of the station and hotel was the work of architects Karel Řepa, Karel Kalvoda, and Josef Danda. It began operation in 1958. The details of the SŽ reconstruction were consulted with the recently deceased architect Miroslav Řepa, son of Karel Řepa.

"I remember my husband, who wanted to see this completed. He didn't make it by two months; hopefully, he sees it all, he would be happy, he lived for this. The station was his second child; he attended every meeting," said Eva Řepová, widow of Miroslav Řepa, to ČTK.

Heritage conservationists perceive the complex as the highest quality functionalist station with a hotel in post-war Czechoslovakia. The construction company had to meet the requirements of the conservators to preserve as many original elements as possible, or replicate them. According to representatives of the construction firm, the building also sensitively incorporates modern elements to meet the demands of current users. "There could be discussions regarding heritage care. In the end, it turned out well, and both they and we have a good feeling about it," said the director of the high-rise construction, Martin Fibich.

For example, the ceramic tiles of the original facade have three shades of brick color, even though they came from one batch, as the production back then was not perfect. In the restoration of the cladding, the color differences were again respected in agreement with the conservators, added Fibich.

The restoration of the high-rise building will be followed by the renovation of the station building. The modernization of the railway hub in Pardubice began in September 2020. The reconstruction of the railway superstructure, traction, and power supply has been completed. Work is ongoing to reconstruct the platforms and complete the fifth platform. The pedestrian bridge from the train station to the Dukla housing estate is nearly finished. The total costs for the entire hub will be over seven million crowns.

"This year's milestone will be the complete reconstruction of the third platform. And fortunately, we can reconstruct the ticket hall, on which we will announce a competition this month or at the latest in October. We are not finished here yet by 2025," said Svoboda.