The Dobrošov Fortress will be repaired for 61 million

Hradec Králové - The pre-war fortress Dobrošov in the Náchod area is to be repaired by a consortium of companies Solid Care and Gemec-Union for 61.3 million crowns excluding VAT. The regional council managed to select the company for the repair of the fortress, which is a national cultural monument, in the fourth public competition. In the current tender, the results of which were approved by the regional council today, there were three applicants. Dan Lechmann, spokesman for the regional council, said this today. The region set the estimated construction price in the tender at 62.8 million crowns. Construction work could begin at the end of May and last approximately two years.

The total investment in the fortress Dobrošov, including the acquisition of a historical exhibition, furniture, and other interior equipment, is expected to reach about 94 million crowns including VAT. Approximately 90 percent of the costs should be covered by a grant from the European IROP program. Due to the prolonged selection of the construction company, the region was concerned about losing the grant due to not meeting the completion deadline. Eventually, the region managed to negotiate an extension of the grant utilization deadline by one year from the original November 30, 2020, to December 8, 2021.

The builders will carry out construction modifications and remediation work on the fortress structures Zelený, Můstek, Jeřáb, and Polsko. They will also work in the underground fortress structures. The contract includes the construction of a wooden workers' house, sewage, water supply, roads, lighting, and water reservoirs. "We want to create a visitor center that will enhance the experience of visiting this national cultural monument. The fortress Dobrošov is very popular with tourists and the amenities for visitors simply do not exist here," stated the Deputy Governor for Culture Martina Berdychová (Východočeši).

The Prague company Solid Care is engaged in construction, mining, and activities carried out in a mining manner. The company Gemec-Union is based in Jívka near Žacléř in the Trutnov region and is also involved in making old and abandoned mines accessible for tourism purposes as part of its mining activities. Gemec-Union also operates in the production of steel structures and in the processing of industrial waste.

No company applied for the first tender for the repair of Dobrošov. In the second competition, the region received a bid from only one company, which, however, withdrew from the contract. In the third tender, the only company registered did not meet the conditions set out in the competition. For the fourth tender, the region adjusted the terms of the competition, for example, it changed the scope of the construction work.

Hradec Králové Region received the fortress Dobrošov free of charge from the army in 2015, and tours for visitors are provided by the Náchod Museum. The fortress is visited by around 30,000 people annually.

The Dobrošov fortress was built to protect the republic against Nazi Germany, together with other border fortifications. However, the fortress was not completed before the signing of the Munich Agreement on the cession of border territories of Czechoslovakia to Germany in September 1938. During the Protectorate, the fortress was closed and was abandoned until the 1960s after 1945. The first visitors entered the fortress on May 1, 1969.