Semily has an atypical circular kindergarten with two types of preschool education

Semily – Semily have a new kindergarten with a capacity of up to 110 places. Its construction cost 105 million crowns and it will be in operation from Monday of next week. The architecture is atypical, resembling two overlapping circles. This is also due to the fact that it will offer two types of preschool education – traditional and Waldorf, said the kindergarten director Barbora Petrušková to ČTK today.

"The building is designed in such a way that its authenticity can be preserved. So one part of the circle is for Waldorf classes and the other for traditional classes," added the director of the Treperka Kindergarten which is also Waldorf-based.

The different concepts are evident at first glance. The space of the traditional kindergarten is visually colorful, while the Waldorf part is based on natural materials. "It's a very pleasant space, cozy, there is a lot of wood," stated Petrušková. The difference is also in the toys; in the Waldorf section, there is not a single plastic one, all are made of wood.

The kindergarten has four classes, two traditional and two Waldorf. From Monday, it will be completely filled, as interest was higher than its capacity. "Unfortunately, we couldn't accommodate everyone, which saddens us," added the director. The kindergarten was built according to the design of Marek Topič. Its atypical circular design is reflected even in the dining areas where children sit in a circle around one table. The director also considers the classrooms with large windows spanning the entire outer wall a success. "They go from the floor to the ceiling, so the children have a view outside, onto that beautiful garden, into nature," she added.

However, not everyone in the local community likes the unusually built kindergarten. Mayor Lena Mlejnková (Choice for Semily) is convinced that this will change over time. She personally considers the building remarkable, which will advance the city architecturally and urbanistically. "Every such significant building needs a little time for locals to get used to it," she believes.

The new kindergarten increased the capacity of kindergartens in Semily by only about 15 places. The city primarily built it as a replacement for the traditional and Waldorf kindergartens that were previously separated at this location in buildings from the 1970s. "There were three paper houses that were built during the Z action for ten years and were here for 40 years," reminded Mlejnková. The construction of the new kindergarten had been planned in Semily since 2009, but the city hall struggled for a long time to obtain funding for it. "The city of Semily was not capable of investing such a high amount from its budget," stated the mayor. The European grant covered most of the costs, and the city hall contributed about 23 million crowns.

The city wanted to open the kindergarten a year ago. The construction became complicated right from the foundation, then the work was prolonged due to the coronavirus, and completion was further complicated by problems with the delivery of furniture and interior equipment. "However, there was no increase in price," noted Mlejnková. She considers it an advantage that the new single-storey building is in so-called passive standard. "There is minimal energy consumption, heating with a heat pump, and recuperation. It has the very latest technology available at this moment," she added.