Tachov is renovating the Světce riding hall for 72 million, the second largest in Central Europe

Tachov - The riding hall in Světce near Tachov, the second largest in Central Europe after the Spanish Riding School in Vienna, will fully open on January 1, 2024, after the current stage of reconstruction. The pseudo-Romanesque building, which was saved from demolition by a single vote in the municipal council in 1999, has been under restoration for 23 years. The final stage of the riding hall’s renovation is crucial, amounting to 72 million CZK mostly supported by the European IROP program, and is 90 percent complete, said Mayor Petr Vrána (Volím Tachov) to ČTK.

"Now, as part of the trial operation, there will be summer festivals, mainly Open Door events at the riding hall. Concerts will run from June," added the mayor. The city also organizes weekend tours. "Currently, restoration work and the renewal of the paintings are basically being completed," Vrána stated. Tachov expects strong interest from visitors, especially with the new tourist season starting on April 1, 2024.

The main hall, where General Alfred Windischgrätz, the owner of the riding hall, showcased his horses, as well as the stables, the gentlemen's rooms on the first floor, the blacksmith-keeper's apartment, and the farrier's workshop with tools and information panels are almost finished. The main gallery and the herbology museum are being completed.

The reconstruction must finish by autumn; under the terms of the grant, Tachov must settle the accounts by December 2023. "We are in the final stage, we are not behind schedule, and the construction company is functioning excellently. We will definitely meet the deadline. So, from January 1st, there will be regular operations," said Vrána. According to him, the city will not need to incur any additional costs. "But we cannot yet accurately estimate the operating costs. They will emerge from the first months of operation," he added.

According to the mayor, the riding hall was on the verge of collapse in 2000. The city had to have complete structural remediation of the whole building carried out. "The only thing that was 90 percent in good condition was the truss. Everything else, including walls, roofing, interiors, and more, is new," he stated. After the completion of the current final stage, there will be no need for further work on the riding hall. "This investment will bring it to a really final state. Then we will only deal with the exteriors," he added.

The almost 160-year-old monumental riding hall deteriorated after nationalization in 1948. The renovation was initiated in the early 2000s through subsidies from the Ministry of Culture during Pavel Dostál's tenure (CSSD). After his death, state support began to decline, and in subsequent years, the city received only lower hundreds of thousands of CZK from the ministry for decoration and minor repairs, waiting many years for EU funding.