The repair of St. Bartholomew's Church in Kolín will be millions cheaper

Kolín - The reconstruction of the Church of St. Bartholomew in Kolín and its surroundings will cost more than twenty percent less than the project estimated. The city anticipated costs around 90 million, while the bids submitted in the tender are around 70 million crowns. This was stated to journalists today by Deputy Mayor Michael Kašpar (Change for Kolín). Work on the church is expected to start in November.

According to Kašpar, the city has nearly completed the assessment of all bids, and the approval of the order of applicants will follow. Participants in the tender will then have 15 days to file any appeals. Therefore, the municipality expects that the contract with the supplier will be signed at the turn of October and November. After that, according to Kašpar, nothing will prevent the commencement of work.

"Work will begin on the bell tower and the old school with some basic tasks, and a construction-historical survey of the entire area will be carried out," said Kašpar.

The city received a grant for the reconstruction, which will cover 90 percent of the costs. According to initial plans, repairs were to start in the spring. Delays were caused, according to Kolín Mayor Vít Rakušan (STAN), by several unresolved technicalities.

During the reconstruction, the area around the monument will be gradually closed. In one phase, the space in front of the church will also be closed. The city will replace the pavement, public lighting, complement the furniture, and reconstruct the buildings of the bell tower, ossuary, and old school around it. According to Kašpar, it is crucial that the project was developed for the entire area around the church. A replica of an 18th-century classroom will be placed in the renovated building of the old school.

The repair is expected to be completed in 1.5 years. Only the repair of the ossuary will take longer, where the renovation plan estimates a completion date six months later due to restoration work.

Beyond the project and grant, the city will rehabilitate the ramparts and build a new entrance from Politických vězňů Street. "The ramparts are no longer part of the cultural monument, so the grant cannot apply to them," Kašpar previously stated. The costs for repairing the ramparts and building the passage are estimated at six to seven million crowns, according to him.

The Church of St. Bartholomew in Kolín is an important Gothic sacred structure. It was built in the second half of the 13th century, from which a three-nave structure with a pair of octagonal western towers has survived. In the 14th century, Peter Parléř constructed a new, tall, cathedral choir with a ring of chapels. At the beginning of the 16th century, the bell tower was added.