Repairs of Gočár's pavilion in Bohdaneč will cost hundreds of millions

Bohdaneč Spa (Pardubice Region) - The comprehensive renovation of the spa Gočár Pavilion in Bohdaneč Spa in the Pardubice Region will cost up to hundreds of millions of crowns. The facility plans for its modernization in the long term. Jiří Vitík, the director of the spa, told ČTK this. The cubist building was designed by architect Josef Gočár and was built in the second decade of the last century.

“We are prepared to dedicate the entire ground floor to public purposes. We are considering a gallery or a small museum of balneology. We feel that we should give something back from this unique structure to the people, so it doesn’t only serve our clients,” said Vitík.

Since this is a very costly project, which would disproportionately prolong the return on investment without external sources, the spa is considering grants. A project connected with a public non-profit service, such as a museum, could succeed with a funding application, added Vitík.

“If we proceed with the project, we would have to completely detach the newer colonnade, as it was insensitively connected to the pavilion. We would uncover the whole pavilion and return it to its original mode,” said Vitík.

Local journalists and experts labeled the building as a pavilion without unnecessary minutiae and praised the restrained modeling of the facade surface. The facade's mask consists of slanted cornices and supports, slender pillars complemented by broken windows, which acquired the pattern of a fish skeleton in detail.

The covered passageway is an advanced tract that the architect placed in front of the cabins with peat baths. Gočár was likely inspired by the arcade promenade in the secessionist spa in Saxon Elster, which he visited together with the Bohdaneč city officials in 1911.

It took another two years to construct the Bohdaneč Pavilion. With the growing number of clients, which increased the demands on the facility’s capacity, a mansard second floor was constructed in 1925 according to the design of Antonín Hilse.