City Council of Hronov
City of Hronov
nám. Čs. armády 5
549 31 Hronov

OPEN LETTER – Jirásek Theatre

Dear council members, dear city councilors, Mr. Mayor of Hronov,

Jirásek Theatre, located in the central square of Hronov, is one of the most significant works of Jindřich Freiwald, a top interwar architect and native of Hronov. Furthermore, this building is also a symbol of the city of Hronov, embedded in the city's coat of arms and associated with the figure of Alois Jirásek as well as with a significant theatre festival. The importance and quality of the theatre building is evidenced by the fact that since 1958 it has been listed in the Central List of Cultural Monuments of the Czech Republic maintained by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) under catalogue number 1000126658, and therefore its care is subject, among other things, to Act No. 20/1987 Coll. on State Heritage Care.

With great concern, we are therefore monitoring the actions of the city leadership in Hronov regarding the preparations for the project "Renovation – construction modifications of Jirásek Theatre Hronov," which, based on available documentation, is likely leading to irreversible damage to the theatre building. We find the manner in which the selection of the project designer was conducted especially alarming.

1. The assignment was processed unprofessionally and incompletely, clearly insufficiently consulted with experts.
We consider the preparation of the assignment, its quality, and comprehensiveness to be the cornerstone that significantly influences the future quality of the project. The requirement to develop documentation as "single-stage" (DSP+DPS) certainly does not correspond to the expected complexity of the project.
The requested period of 85 days for the preparation of the documentation and its discussion with affected public administration authorities is absolutely unrealistic, not taking into account statutory administrative deadlines, and thus raises concerns about the quality of the submitted work from the very beginning.

2. The timeline of the selection process, wherein only three (!) weeks elapsed from the announcement of the public tender to the signing of the contract for work.
Bidders had only 10 days to submit offers, despite the fact that the project documentation is to be processed in such a way that the costs for the actual implementation of the projected construction activities are estimated at 32 million CZK excluding VAT.

3. Selection made solely based on the lowest price without a professionally qualified selection committee.
For a construction of this significance, it is absolutely fundamental and necessary to present the professional competence of the applicant, particularly their references of a similar nature. That is, whether the designer has the prerequisites and experience for the successful and quality execution of the work. Unfortunately, the city did not include such a condition in the call for tenders at all. Individual offers should then be assessed by a pre-appointed committee consisting of both representatives of the city and independent experts knowledgeable about the issues of reconstructing cultural monuments.

For the reasons described above, we consider the selection of the project designer for the renovation of Jirásek Theatre to be unqualified and absolutely unacceptable. We request you to reassess the results of the selection process, cancel it, and announce a new one, under conditions appropriate to the significance of Jirásek Theatre for the city itself, as well as in a broader artistic and cultural context.

Respectfully

Prof. PhDr. Stanislav Bohadlo, CSc., university educator
Ing. arch. Oleg Haman, authorized architect, chairman of the Chamber of Architects of the Czech Republic
Doc. Ing. arch. Petr Vorlík, Ph.D., university educator, architect, and architectural historian
Ing. arch. Ivo Balcar, native of Náchod, architect
Ing. arch. Milan Vít, native of Hronov, authorized architect
MgA. Viktor Vlach, native of Náchod, architect
Ing. arch. Michal Ježek, native of Náchod, authorized architect
Ing. arch. Aleš Krtička, native of Hronov, authorized architect
Arch. David Chmelař, native of Hronov, authorized architect

In Hronov on June 13, 2019

To be noted:
National Heritage Institute, Regional Expert Office in Josefov
Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic, Department of Heritage Protection
Czech Chamber of Architects