The refurbished sample showroom of Karnola in Krnov will be open for visitors to view this year

Krnov - The building of the sample room in the area of the former textile factory Karnola in Krnov in the Bruntál region, which was destroyed by an intentionally set fire in December 2017, is likely to be accessible to the public later this year. The construction work aimed at removing the fire-induced emergency condition has already been completed. Now, preparations are underway to repair the historical weaving machines, which will be the main attraction of the prepared exhibition. This was stated by Dita Círová, spokesperson for the Krnov city hall.

The fire years ago significantly damaged the rare sample room of fabrics with samples, pattern books, and historical weaving machines. The so-called dezinatura was supposed to be part of a large project for an interactive museum. However, the city ultimately backed down from those plans after the fire. It also relinquished a hundred-million grant that it received from the European Union. A smaller museum is still supposed to be established there.

The repair of the building for 14.6 million crowns started last year. The work focused on the interior of the two floors that were most damaged by the fire. The work included the replacement of floors, ceilings, beams, columns, windows, and doors, the application of plaster with internal insulation, paintwork, and complete electrical installations.

Although the fire primarily affected wooden elements, not all of them were replaced. "Some columns or column heads remained original at the suggestion of heritage conservationists; they were merely stripped of charred parts. The floor under the machines is also original, just sanded and surface-treated. Those were left in place and covered during the reconstruction,” stated Pavel Hanzel from the investment and property management department.

The repair cost 14.6 million crowns. The Moravian-Silesian Region provided a grant of ten million crowns for the remediation of fire damage. "From this grant, we have already used 9.5 million crowns; the remaining 500,000 crowns will be used for the restoration of the machines,” said Rostislav Balner from the city development department. The restoration of the machines will follow this year. Former adjusters of Karnola will take care of it. The dezinatura should then be accessible to the public in a limited capacity, primarily during occasional tours. "We expect that the first interested parties will visit the premises this year. But so far, it will only be on exceptional occasions during guided tours,” said Círová.

Before the fire, which engulfed the former textile factory on December 20, 2017, the workshop was in the condition from the last working day. It represented a unique phenomenon in the Czech Republic and Central Europe. According to the police, the building was set on fire in several places by two schoolboys. The fire caused damage exceeding 19 million crowns. It fully affected the rare fabric sample room, which was supposed to serve as the main element of the planned museum.

The building of the former spinning mill with the sample workshop from 1900 is a national cultural monument. In the workshop, which was equipped with both mechanical and hand looms of various constructions and other machines, patterns for the produced fabrics for new seasons were designed. It also included a valuable collection of fabric samples from the end of the 19th century. What remains of the rare documentation is being restored by the former head of the dezinatura, Jitka Navrátilová. Some exhibits are part of a new exhibition on textile production in the Flemmich villa in Krnov.