Students will help solve the new form of the revolving stage in Krumlov

Prague - Architecture students were looking for a new design and location for the summer theater stage in the garden of the Český Krumlov Castle. Preservationists, together with the city and the South Bohemian Theatre, must come up with a new solution to replace the existing turntable by February next year. Otherwise, Český Krumlov faces the risk of being added to the list of endangered monuments. The results of the competition were presented to journalists today.
    The Český Krumlov turntable has been at the center of disputes for many years. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee, which included the historic center of the city along with the castle garden on its list in 1992, has long called for its removal. During the assessment of the monument prior to its inscription, there was no information available regarding the presence of the turntable in the park. Preservationists want to accommodate the UNESCO committee and would like to see a new stage outside the baroque garden. However, the city and the South Bohemian Theatre, which owns and operates the turntable, want it to remain in its place, arguing that it was already there at the time of the inscription.
    The student architectural competition featured 24 projects. According to Václav Girsa from the Faculty of Architecture at ČVUT, the competition aimed to find the best location for the next stage, outline its architectural level that would correspond with 21st-century architecture, align with current scenographic practices and the needs of the theater, and respect the landscape concept of the garden.
    "We have always been saddened that one type of culture, theater, was promoted at the expense of another type of culture, garden art, which in the form of the local baroque garden is a significant component of the heritage listed by UNESCO," said Josef Štulc, president of the national committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites). According to him, it is necessary to reconcile the demands of theater practitioners and preservationists in mutual respect - and according to the results of the competition, this is possible, he stated.
    A commission has been established at the Ministry of Culture to address the issue of the turntable. "Its aim should be to announce an architectural competition for the current location, but for us, the ideal solution is to build a new stage behind the garden," said Naďa Goryczková, director of the National Heritage Institute.

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Competition results:

1st prize - 15,000 CZK
Jan Harciník - design no. 2 (Faculty of Architecture ČVUT, PRAGUE, Studio Ing. arch. Miroslav Cikán, assistant Mgr. Art. Peter Buš, Institute of Heritage Care)
Eliška and Marie Křížovy - design no. 7 (Faculty of Architecture ČVUT, PRAGUE, Studio Prof. Ing. arch. Akad. arch. Václav Girsa, assistant Ing. arch. Tomáš Efler, Institute of Heritage Care)

2nd prize - 10,000 CZK
Radka Ježková - design no. 23 (Faculty of Art and Architecture Technical University of Liberec, Studio Prof. Ing. arch. Akad. arch. Jiří Suchomel)

3rd prize - 8,000 CZK
Barbara Fraňková - design no. 1 (Faculty of Architecture ČVUT, PRAGUE, Studio Ing. arch. Miroslav Cikán, assistant Mgr. Art. Peter Buš, Institute of Heritage Care)

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