The extensive monastery in Plasy is largely utilized, with the last projects underway there

Plasy - The area of the former monastery in Plasy in northern Plzeň region is largely used. Currently, the last significant buildings are being completed or started there. The National Technical Museum (NTM), which has the Construction Heritage Center (CSD) there since September 2015, has begun to build an exhibition of medieval construction machines in the former beer cellar refrigerator. The restoration of the church, which is to be opened at the pilgrimage on August 14, is being completed, and the conservationists are further repairing the prelature and the abbey garden, and preparing the restoration of the granary and the chapel with the clock tower. This was stated to CTK by NTM General Director Karel Ksandr and CSD Head Pavel Kodera.

"In the church, which will be ceremonially opened on August 14, the discovered Romanesque portal will be presented for the first time, which is a big deal. Inside, there will also be a renovated Baroque portal, a complete interior, altars, and furnishings, and the façade is already finished," said Kodera. The second extensive project is the renovation of a large part of the prelature, including the courtyard, during which an ambulatory and gazebo are being reconstructed. Archaeologists are currently working in the abbey garden, restoring an underground passage that will be made accessible as a tourist route. "Another project is being prepared by the conservators in the granary, where a reconnaissance archaeological survey has already taken place. They are preparing the restoration of the granary and the chapel with the clock tower," he stated. Another reconnaissance survey is underway for the second phase of the modification of the monastery courtyard, which the city will carry out after the completion of the new NTM exhibition.

CSD, which has a depository above the brewery, wants to create a study depository of construction elements and materials in the upper floors, a so-called material library. According to Kodera, it is a pan-European trend. "Now we, as NTM, have established a network of European material libraries with the French, Belgians, Germans, and Austrians. With our collection, we are quite far and are preparing for an international meeting," he said. CSD is now seeking funds for the restoration of the buildings. "A study exhibition will be created, not the kind we currently have for families and visitors with general interest. It will be for specialists, who, however, do not necessarily have to be experts on the subject. For example, you may be renovating an old house and find out what windows, fittings, and others would fit there. We will present a development series, similar to our new exhibition on locksmithing, where you can see how locks, handles, or fittings have evolved from the beginning," he stated.

The area of the former monastery is jointly managed by the National Heritage Institute, the church, the city, and NTM. CSD operates in most of the economic background, intertwining the presentation and educational functions of the museum with experiential activities for the public. Attendance has been increasing; however, last year, due to the pandemic, it was visited by 10,000 people, a third compared to the record year of 2019. The center was created for 137 million CZK in a former mill, brewery, and stables. "We want to continue with other projects here," stated Ksandr. There is also a city library and brewery on the premises.