Šumperk has selected a designer for the planned reconstruction of the House of Culture

Šumperk - Šumperk has moved closer to the long-planned extensive reconstruction of the House of Culture, the venue for cultural events and especially the prestigious international festival Blues Alive. On Monday, the committee selected a contractor for the project documentation in the tender process. The estimated cost of the reconstruction is 200 million crowns, officials from the town hall told reporters today. The timeline for starting work is not yet known, but it is already certain that the operation in the cultural house will be interrupted for about 1.5 years during the construction.

"The House of Culture has aged, there have been no major investments there in the past decades. The air conditioning and sewage systems are running out, and the building requires a complete reconstruction. This reconstruction should also bring improvements to the surrounding areas; we would like to integrate the house more into the quiet part of the city and effectively connect it to the pedestrian zone. Moreover, we are also expecting a reconstruction of the May 1st gardens in the future," said Mayor Tomáš Spurný (For Šumperk) to ČTK today.

According to experts, the demanding investment will take at least 1.5 years due to its scope. "The current management of the House of Culture knows what awaits them, and they are exploring options for alternative spaces and developing a strategy," the mayor stated. He noted that one of the places being considered for alternative facilities is, for example, the new cultural house in Rapotín, which is also suitable for larger events. "In the city, we also have the library and theater available for larger events," Spurný added.

According to Deputy Mayor Jakub Jirgl (ANO), the city has had the study for the transformation of the House of Culture in Šumperk reworked to reflect future needs and changing trends. "The aim is to create more multifunctional spaces," Jirgl stated.

After the reconstruction, the House of Culture should provide more halls; in addition to the large one, there should be two smaller ones that could serve as training or conference rooms. "We also want to ensure smaller club concerts here, and a dignified restaurant space should be created. The goal is to maintain the local café, which is interesting for the people of Šumperk. A more interesting environment for performers should also be created here. We want to approach this as a modern cultural house," Jirgl added.

The Šumperk city hall bought the building in 2016 for 18 million crowns from the Kovo Pramet trade union organization. The city is currently also repaying six million crowns to the Office for the Representation of the State in Property Matters for the land under the building. If the city had not purchased the building, all cultural events would have been at risk of losing their support.