The reconstruction of the Automated Mills is set to begin next year

Pardubice - Four projects aimed at the restoration and utilization of the Automatic Mills in Pardubice have received a promise of European subsidies. They can receive up to 447 million crowns. Construction work is expected to begin next year. The mills are intended to provide facilities for two galleries or polytechnical workshops, the city hall stated in a press release.

"I believe that all applicants will successfully complete the final phase of the preparation of these demanding projects and start construction next year. However, the projects can only draw the full 447 million crowns when we manage to increase the allocation for the heritage area, which we are negotiating with the Ministry of Regional Development," said Mayor Martin Charvát (ANO).

All four projects have already received building permits, allowing the subsidy provider to promise them European funding. The city of Pardubice is preparing Central Polytechnical Workshops, which may receive almost 115 million crowns. The Gallery of the City of Pardubice expects a subsidy of 17 million crowns. The Pardubice Region will create facilities for the East Bohemian Gallery in the mills, with a subsidy of up to 245 million crowns.

The Automatic Mills Foundation can receive nearly 70 million crowns for the reconstruction of the silo and public spaces. The foundation was established by the Smetana family, who purchased the abandoned mills in 2016 for more than 22 million crowns. Later, they sold part of the area to the Pardubice Region and the city, with the local authorities paying a total of 36.5 million crowns for the buildings.

The design of the mills was commissioned from architect Josef Gočár by brothers Egon and Karel Winternitz. They were built between 1909 and 1911, and a new silo was added in the 1920s, connected to the older section by a bridge. Their architecture resembles the Babylonian Ishtar Gate. In the second half of the last century, the left riverfront wing was extended by a four-story addition, and additional buildings were constructed on the premises. Since 2014, the mills have been a national cultural monument.