New Bor has completed the reconstruction of the historic funeral hall

Nový Bor - Nový Bor has completed a comprehensive reconstruction of the mourning hall at the Forest Cemetery. The renovation of the hundred-year-old building, costing 8.9 million crowns, faced complications that extended the reconstruction by almost three-quarters of a year. Today, the city hall spokesperson Radmila Pokorná informed ČTK about the completion of the work.

"Currently, the city is preparing a public competition for the lease of the mourning hall; the first ceremonies in the new premises could take place at the turn of autumn and winter," she added.

The mourning hall has been improved after more than 35 years. "The unsatisfactory condition of the refrigeration unit and facilities for staff, the cramped space for mourning guests, and the aesthetically tired interior cladding were the impetus for the extensive reconstruction of the building," Pokorná reminded.

The repair began last summer and was originally supposed to finish after six months at the end of last year. Issues and the extension of the renovation period were caused by the collapse of walls in the basement and also high humidity in the outer walls. "First, it was necessary to stabilize the existing walls on the recommendation of a structural engineer, and at the same time, the building had to be dried out. This delayed subsequent work," said Miroslav Jeništa, head of the city development department.

The Nový Bor mourning hall was built according to the design of architect Maximilian Dittrich in 1909. During the reconstruction, workers removed two unsightly extensions and replaced them with new ones, covered in wood. The smaller one houses technical and social facilities for the funeral service staff. The large front extension significantly increases the capacity of the ceremonial hall to 120 seats. "The trio of folding doors allows the ceremony to be adapted to the number of guests. For a smaller group of mourners, the ceremony can be held in an intimate atmosphere only in the historic core of the building. Conversely, for a large number of guests, it is possible to open the middle folding doors and include the entire space up to the anteroom, which can be closed off with additional folding doors," added Jeništa. Improved comfort for mourning guests will be ensured in colder months by heated seats.

The interior is now dominated by glass sculptures by Nový Bor glassmaker and artist Zdeněk Kudláček from the Kolektiv Ateliers. "The sculptures symbolically refer to glassmaking, with which the city is closely linked," said Mayor Jaromír Dvořák (Mayors for the Liberec Region). During the reconstruction, mourning ceremonies in the twelve-thousand-strong town are held at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Arnultovice, which belongs to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church.