The decision about the Olomouc SEFO will not be made this year

Olomouc – The decision on the form and location for the construction of the Central European Art Exhibition - SEFO in Olomouc is being postponed until next year. Representatives of the Museum of Art originally wanted to have clarity on the project costing more than half a billion crowns by the end of October, but due to negotiations with the Ministry of Culture, the final verdict has continually been delayed. It is now clear that no decision will be made by the end of the year, said museum spokesman Tomáš Kasal today to ČTK. The project has been in the planning stages for more than ten years. The construction has mainly been delayed by land acquisition and financing. After failing to secure European grants, the government approved an amount of 593 million crowns for this construction last January.

"The Central European Forum Olomouc is a sophisticated building costing more than half a billion crowns, so the decision regarding it must be backed by arguments and studies. The public will learn the outcome a bit later than we originally announced, which particularly indicates that we are approaching this issue with genuine seriousness and consideration," stated the museum spokesman.

Museum representatives have previously indicated that there are two options being considered: the proposal by architect Jan Šépka, who suggested filling the gap in Denisova Street with a futuristic building in 2009, and the second option is to utilize spaces in the abandoned Hanácké barracks.

According to museum director Ondřej Zatloukal, both options have their pros and cons. He believes that Šépka’s filling of the gap would be a significant architectural feat and would be connected to the old museum building. However, the bold architecture located in the historic part of the city has previously sparked mixed reactions. In the magazine Muzeion, published by the museum, Zatloukal praised the spatial possibilities that could develop the appearance of SEFO deeper into the past. However, he stated that the object is not architecturally so distinctive, is far from the main museum building, and is also much more extensive than the museum needs for SEFO. "It is financially more demanding, and a potential reconstruction could be a third more expensive," Zatloukal noted.

Museum representatives are discussing the final form of SEFO with Minister of Culture Lubomír Zaorálek (ČSSD), who already in September during a visit to Olomouc referred to the project as extraordinarily significant. He entrusted its form to the museum and considered the architectural competition requested by his predecessor Antonín Staněk as a risk. The new building is expected to offer exhibition spaces for artworks from across Central Europe and the facilities necessary for the functioning of the museum. This primarily includes larger depots for the ever-growing collections or a new library and study room. The new central depot is planned to accommodate up to 200,000 works of art; the museum currently owns 90,860 collection items with a market value of approximately two billion crowns.