The relocation of the gallery to the spa building will cost the Liberec Region 85 million CZK

Liberec - The move of the Regional Gallery in Liberec to the reconstructed municipal baths will cost the Liberec Region more than 85 million crowns. Nearly 56 million crowns represents the co-financing of the costly reconstruction of the bath building, which cost 360 million crowns. The region has also added further funds for interior modifications and the project. The interior equipment of the complex and the neighboring repository alone will cost nearly 22 million crowns, but the original estimate by the designers was almost double that. This information was provided to ČTK today by Governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region).
    The reconstruction of the municipal baths into a gallery space was financed by the city of Liberec, which received a grant from the Regional Operational Program for the expensive repairs. It covered 85 percent of the costs, while the remaining 15 percent was paid by the region. Initially, the costs for the interior fittings were estimated by the designers at 42 million crowns, but through modifications, the price was reduced to 33 million. "Further cost reductions came from the public competition, where it was possible to secure a price one third lower," Půta added.
    The Liberec gallery has the fifth largest collection in the country, but it is stored in inadequate conditions. The gallery is housed in a neo-Renaissance building constructed between 1871 and 1872 by the industrialist Johann Liebieg. However, a structural historical survey revealed that the building is in a state of emergency. The structure is infested with wood-boring beetles and dry rot. "The supporting ceiling structure between the second and third floors is also damaged, above which a part of the gallery's rare archive is located," gallery director Jan Randáček said previously to ČTK. The gallery additionally lacked a repository.
    According to estimates, the reconstruction of the gallery and the completion of the repository would cost more than 230 million crowns. Neither the gallery nor the region had these funds, and there was no chance of obtaining them from the EU. Four years ago, the region welcomed the city's offer to use the former municipal baths for the gallery. The historical building had been empty for years, and the city was looking for a purpose for it. Ultimately, it chose to convert it into an exhibition space. The reconstructed building will be taken over by the region, and the former gallery building should be handed over to the city after the move. The gallery will open in the baths in February next year.
    The Liberec municipal baths were built between 1900 and 1902 according to the design of Vienna architect Peter Paul Brang. The building was created during the city's greatest expansion in honor of the 50th anniversary of Emperor Franz Joseph I's reign. The baths form an architecturally unique complex with the neighboring North Bohemian Museum and children's polyclinic. Before the building was acquired by the city, it changed owners several times. Liberec bought the baths at auction in 2005 for nine million crowns. The reconstruction of the baths is one of the controversial contracts, with the opposition claiming it is overpriced. However, the antimonopoly office found no irregularities. The Liberec Region intends to enter the reconstruction in the Construction of the Year competition.