Olomouc Law School is awaiting the largest investment since the faculty's renewal

Olomouc - The Faculty of Law at Palacký University in Olomouc is set to undergo its largest investment since it was reestablished in 1991. Plans include the completion of a wing of the faculty with a study center and library, as well as the construction of new facilities for the Center for Clinical and Legal Education. The faculty has already been promised a grant of up to 41.2 million Czech crowns. Construction is expected to start in the summer of next year, faculty representatives told ČTK.

The completion of the faculty's headquarters on 17. listopadu Avenue has been planned for several years. The modernization will significantly affect Building B, where a completely new two-story wing is to be built. "Since its reestablishment in 1991, the Faculty of Law has not undergone any extensive reconstruction; it has only seen partial adjustments, thus this will be a significant intervention into the original layout of the buildings, which has remained unchanged since they were taken over from the former OV KSČ," said Petr Bačík, the faculty secretary, to ČTK.

The project consists of two independent parts, the first of which involves completing the study center with a library. "With the completion, the faculty will gain modern facilities for the study center with a capacity of 187 places, new classrooms, amenities for visiting foreign experts, and not least appropriate space for a new library," noted the faculty secretary. The second independent part is the construction of new facilities for the Center for Clinical and Legal Education, which will serve both students and the public during student legal counseling. "The completion will also affect the main entrance to the building, and a modern ramp for wheelchair users will be constructed," added Petr Bačík.

According to the faculty dean Zdenka Papoušková, the reconstruction of the library and the establishment of the study room have been addressed since previous administrations. "The library was opened alongside the faculty in 1991, when the faculty had significantly fewer students than it does now, and the capacity of the library and study places no longer meets current demands. The qualitative requirements for the use of the library have also changed significantly since then," stated the dean to ČTK. She pointed out that with the grant, the faculty will gain a modern representative library and spaces for students' self-study, as well as for the scientific work of its academic staff and visiting professors.

The faculty has been promised a grant of up to 41.2 million Czech crowns, of which five percent will be co-financed from its own resources. The actual costs will depend on the outcome of the bidding process for the construction contractor, the faculty secretary added. The faculty plans to begin construction in the summer months of 2018, with teachers and students expected to start utilizing the new wing of the faculty at the beginning of the 2019/2020 academic year.

Law has been taught at the University of Olomouc since 1679, and the modern history of the Olomouc Faculty of Law began in 1991 when it became the first post-revolution law faculty in what was then Czechoslovakia. Approximately 1580 students are currently studying at the faculty.