Plzeňský kraj canceled the plan for a two-billion crown loan for the reconstruction of the spa in Plzeň

Plzeň - The representatives of the Plzeň Region canceled the plan to arrange a two-billion crown loan for the reconstruction of the city spa in Plzeň, including the construction of a new building for the West Bohemian Gallery (ZČG). The start of the reconstruction is delayed due to a request from the state heritage preservationists for a review of the project. The region announced a contest for the loan in December and contacted six banks, which were supposed to submit offers now. The region is expected to launch a new competition in 2025 after the regional elections, so it is only a postponement, said Pavel Strolený (ANO), the regional councilor for the economy, to ČTK. The opposition disagrees with the reconstruction of the spa.

"We designed and prepared estimates, and we have a valid opinion from the heritage department of the city of Plzeň. There were no appeals against it, but recently a request for a review came to the region from the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ)," said Martin Záhoř (ANO), the deputy governor. According to him, although the review procedure does not have a suspensive effect, the request from the state heritage preservationists is being resolved. Because the Plzeň Region would be biased as the investor of the reconstruction and the owner of the spa while handling the NPÚ request, it forwarded it to the Ministry of Culture, which passed it on to the Ústí Region for resolution. "They will decide whether the original opinion of the preservationists from Plzeň is in order," he stated.

The actual reconstruction of the spa into a multicultural center, costing between 1.7 to 2 billion CZK, is expected to start according to Strolený in 2025 and continue in 2026. According to Záhoř, the region is still finalizing the project, but has suspended the preparation of the tender for the construction contractor. "And it is clear that it can all be prolonged, so we would like to withdraw from the intention to arrange a bank loan, because time is somewhat against us. We do not know when everything will be communicated, and also because the price of the loan would be worse now than what we can secure in the future," he said.

According to Strolený, the comments from the preservationists focus on the exterior appearance of the spa, such as the windows, and on a slight shift of floors for exercise and dance halls. "This doesn't bother us at the moment; we have a valid building permit. It's just a matter of whether the legal or architectural opinion prevails," he said.

Opposition representative and senator Vladislav Vilímec (ODS), former economic deputy of the governor, stated that he clearly supports the idea that the region should not go into debt. "And as for how it will continue with the multicultural center, we will see after the elections," he said. The opposition disagrees with the reconstruction of the spa. They advocated for the construction of a new gallery in the center of Plzeň at U Zvonu, which had construction permission, land, and a promise of a smaller state subsidy. According to Marcela Hollerová (ODS), it would be more representative and cheaper. The current leadership of the region rejected the new building and purchased the heritage-protected spa from 1932. Senator and representative Pavel Karpíšek (ODS) disagreed with the fact that the region did not announce an architectural competition and directly commissioned architect Eva Heyworth.

According to Strolený, the gallery in the spa will solve the problems of the ZČG, which currently has no place to store and exhibit its exhibits. "And we are also addressing the missing hall for contribution and interest organizations and associations," he said. The region also wants to obtain European funds for it.

"We opted to cancel the loan proposal also because we would not block two billion for the banks. We discussed it in time; they have stopped working on submitting proposals," said Strolený. According to him, after resolving the objections of the NPÚ, the region could draw funds only by the end of the year; moreover, this year it will need a smaller amount than planned. "And we know we could manage it from our own funds. So we will likely announce that competition again in 2025 after the elections," he added. The region currently has five and a quarter billion CZK in its accounts, mostly in funds for approved projects.