NPÚ canceled the competition for the repair of the castle in Litomyšl and the Manor House

Litomyšl - The National Heritage Institute canceled the competition for the renovation of the castle in Litomyšl and the Manor House. The tender has been unnecessarily prolonged and the EU grant could not be utilized. The conservationists are now revising the original project in order to access at least the grant from the state program Care for National Cultural Heritage, said today the spokesperson of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), Lucie Bidlasová.

"We are starting again. We will have to reapply for the grant and announce a competition. We had already received a commitment for funding from the Care for National Cultural Heritage program, but now we have to revise everything," Bidlasová stated. She does not dare to estimate the further timeline.

The priority for the conservationists is the restoration of the roofs of the castle and also the restoration of sgraffito. The roofs, the repair of selected interior spaces of the castle, and the exhibition titled Why is the Castle UNESCO were originally to be largely funded by a grant from the European Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP), which amounted to approximately 260 million crowns. For the restoration of the sgraffito decoration of the castle, the exhibition Historical Theater and Theater Culture in the Aristocratic Environment, the repair of the Manor House, and the clay wall and gazebo above the bastion near the French garden, NPÚ wanted to use the state grant from the Care for National Cultural Heritage program.

The work funded by IROP had to be completed by October 31, 2023, so that NPÚ could meet all the conditions set by the grant provider, which includes the construction completion of the project, the settlement of the grant, and the approval of the construction. Due to delays in the procurement process, which was initiated on October 21, 2021, caused by objections and subsequent reviews from the Office for the Protection of Competition, it is no longer realistic to meet the original deadline. The length of the construction would need to be reduced from 22 months to less than ten months. "Considering the duties of due diligence regarding resources from public funds, it cannot be demanded from the contracting authority to undertake the high risk of not completing the project on time, which would pose a risk of returning the European grant in the full amount of 260.79 million crowns," Bidlasová stated.

According to its statement, NPÚ was forced to observe the obstruction from the unsuccessful contractor, who, due to his own mistake, on which basis he was excluded from the procurement procedure in accordance with the law, and thus could no longer win the contract, still attempted to cause the action to be thwarted, which he ultimately succeeded in through obstruction. "The contracting authorities are unfortunately short against these hostile battles of construction firms," Bidlasová stated.

In the past, NPÚ has failed twice to obtain European grants for the renovation of the castle and the Manor House. The conservationists stated that the projects with requested grants over 250 million crowns were well prepared, but particularly suffered because the buildings are not in an emergency state.

The castle in Litomyšl is a valuable example of the modification of the Italian Renaissance palace for the conditions of the Alpine countries. It was built in the 1560s to 1580s by Vratislav of Pernštejn as a gift for his wife. The Pernštejn Renaissance residence was complemented in the 17th and 18th centuries by Baroque modifications carried out by other owners, the Trauttmansdorffs and Waldstein-Wartenbergs, with the participation of prominent Baroque artists. A unique feature is the preserved family theater from 1797. The castle was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1999.