Plzeň will renovate the deteriorating Klatovská 19 for 250 million CZK; there will be an experiential museum

Plzeň – Plzeň will renovate the dilapidated building at Klatovská 19 for 253 million CZK, which also includes architecturally valuable interiors by the world-renowned Adolf Loos. The city will move the Patton Memorial Pilsen into the empty building, which has been vacant since 2002, and will create an experiential exhibition on the topic of the liberation of Western Bohemia by Allied forces. Additionally, it will permanently make accessible the protected Loos interiors. The construction is set to be completed by the end of next year, with the exhibition opening the following year; work will begin in July. The new exhibition will become another tourist attraction for Plzeň, especially during the Freedom Celebrations, said Mayor Roman Zarzycký (ANO) today to ČTK.

"Thanks to the renovation of the Klatovská 19 building, the Patton Memorial Pilsen will gain larger spaces and adequate storage," said city spokesperson Eva Barborková. In the courtyard, there will be a thirty-ton Sherman tank, the largest museum exhibit donated to Plzeň by General Patton's grandson. A space dedicated to the personality of General Patton and his 3rd U.S. Army will be added as part of the new courtyard extension.

"The renovation will be demanding, and we also had to carefully plan the relocation of the tank. It is currently located in the zoo, from where we first need to transport it to the restoration workshop, and then to Klatovská 19, where we will lift it into the courtyard with a crane through the building," said Deputy Mayor Pavel Bosák (Pirates). The renovation and exhibitions are designed by architect Ludvík Grym.

According to Deputy Mayor Lucie Kantorová (ANO), the exhibition concept for the building is already clear. "In the basement, visitors will experience wartime Plzeň, see weapon production in Škodovka, and absorb the atmosphere of bombed Plzeň, enhanced by a war shelter simulator," she said. From wartime Plzeň, visitors will ascend to a space with projections about the Plzeň uprising, liberation, and the end of the war in Plzeň and Europe. "People will get to know the presence of the U.S. Army in Western Bohemia and similar things," she added.

On the first floor, visitors will find a restored pre-war interior and learn about the personality of Adolf Loos, the principles of his work, and the poignant stories of Plzeň families who were his clients. "The second floor will transform the feeling of euphoria from liberation into skepticism about the new totality," said the spokesperson. Part of the exhibition will also be dedicated to the Freedom Celebrations, World War II veterans, their stories, and the presentation of gifts that were donated to the museum during visits. Thanks to the renovation, the valuable Loos interiors on the second floor will be permanently accessible, including a music salon, living room, and dining room. Until now, they had not been restored and were only accessible a few times a year, she stated.

The city has obtained a European grant of over 54 million CZK for the project.