Floods caused damage worth tens of millions to monuments owned by the region and the church

Ostrava/Krnov – Floods caused damage amounting to several tens of millions of koruna to monuments belonging to the region and the church. The Minorite monastery in Krnov in the Bruntál region is severely damaged. Water flooded it to a height of about 1.6 meters. Dozens of volunteers are involved in its rescue. The water may have compromised the stability of three buildings in the Kosárna Museum complex in Karlovice in the Bruntál region. A statement from a structural engineer is awaited. This was said to ČTK by the deputy for culture of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Lukáš Curylo, and spokesperson for the Ostrava-Opava Diocese, Ondřej Elbel.

Of the regional monuments, the Kosárna Museum complex in Karlovice was probably the most affected and is closed until further notice. "Given the state in which the Kosárna Karlovice currently finds itself after the flood, we strictly warn that no one should enter its premises. We must wait for the groundwater to recede, which is in the basements and surrounding caverns eroded by the flood, in order to call a structural engineer to assess the condition of all three buildings. Subsequently, we will begin with clearing and reconstruction work," stated the museum on its website.

"Kosárna has flooded basements. Water has undermined the foundations in some places. We are waiting for the structural engineer," Curylo told ČTK. According to him, significant damage was also caused by the water in the recently renovated garden hall of the Bruntál castle complex. "The sala terrena has damp walls. Repairs will be costly," he said. Due to intense rains, the basements of Kotula's wooden cottage in Havířov are also flooded. He estimates that the total damage to regional monuments amounts to tens of millions of koruna.

Representatives of the Ostrava-Opava Diocese estimate damage of around 20 million koruna in relation to the flood. "The greatest damage to sacral monuments is recorded in Krnov at the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary at the Minorites and in the Church of the Holy Trinity in Opava. The water reached almost two meters there," said diocese spokesperson Elbel.

According to him, the greatest damage in both churches has already been cleared thanks to the substantial help of local and out-of-town volunteers. Some churches narrowly escaped devastation. For example, the Church of St. Martin in Krnov, which was one meter away from the water. "The flood also reached the church in Brantice. There, the church has been cleaned inside and out. Workers from the National Heritage Institute assisted the parish with the cleanup," Elbel said. He added that damages to other buildings may still manifest later.

The National Heritage Institute also recorded minor damages in the Moravian-Silesian Region. While not directly related to the flood, they were caused by heavy rain. For example, water leaked into the Michal Mine in Ostrava through the roofs. Repairs will be necessary for the damaged plaster. In the castle park in Hradec nad Moravicí, they recorded uprooted trees and fallen branches, and water leaked into one room of the castle. At the castle in Janovice near Rýmařov, water also leaked locally into several places, and repairs to the plaster will also be necessary there. Water has also leaked into the attic spaces of Raduň castle, damaging the plaster, paintings, and wooden flooring.