The Olomouc City Hall is preparing for the modernization of the Flora Exhibition Centre

Olomouc - The Olomouc city hall wants to embark on a large-scale modernization of the local Exhibition Center Flora next year. Part of the project includes the construction of a new building with exhibition space, a restaurant, and parking spaces, which the exhibition center desperately lacks. The investment will require about 400 million crowns. The city will attempt to obtain a subsidy from European funds for it, said the deputy mayor and chairman of the board of the Exhibition Center Flora, Vladimír Pokorný, to journalists today.
    The city hall's project includes a new road connection to the exhibition center from the adjacent Wolkerova street, which would be appreciated by residents of the surrounding streets that are currently used to access the site. The new building is expected to be constructed near the main pavilion A, with which it will be connected. The building will house administrative spaces, a restaurant, a café, 88 parking spaces, and a new exhibition area of approximately 1,100 square meters, which will connect to the gallery of pavilion A.
    "It will be the first space in Olomouc where it will be possible to accommodate about 700 visitors in a seated arrangement, and up to 1,100 visitors in a row arrangement for various social, but primarily congress events. The nearest spaces suitable for holding large congresses are currently in Hradec Králové," said Pokorný.
    He added that the city hall intends to build a new parking lot with a capacity of more than 100 spaces near the exhibition center as part of the investment. It should be constructed near the local train station. The area belongs to the Czech Railways, which no longer uses it. "According to the latest reports, negotiations with the railways are heading towards a happy ending," said Mayor Martin Novotný to journalists.
    According to rough estimates by the city leadership, the project will require 401 million crowns. The city hall will try to obtain a subsidy from the EU for the investment, which could cover up to 90 percent of the costs. The timeline for when the city will embark on the investment depends on whether and when it succeeds in obtaining the grant.
    The city will apply for the subsidy in the very first call of the Regional Operational Program, which the Olomouc region is expected to announce at the end of this year or the beginning of next year. "In the most optimistic scenario, we could start in 2008 and finish by the end of 2009 or the beginning of 2010," said the mayor.
    He added that the project is the first phase of the overall modernization of the exhibition center, which will require a sum in the billions of crowns. "It is a segment of a larger project. Let's say we are taking bites that can be financially digested," said Novotný.
    The Flora exhibition center in Olomouc hosts several dozen exhibitions every year. The most famous is the international flower exhibition Flora Olomouc. Events organized by the exhibition center last year attracted about 190,000 people. The joint-stock company Exhibition Center Flora is wholly owned by the Olomouc city hall.