In the Chotěšov monastery, the largest reconstruction to date has begun

Chotěšov - The largest reconstruction to date has begun at the Chotěšov monastery near Plzeň, costing 77 million crowns, supported by more than 50 million crowns from the European IROP program. A museum of baroque sandstone sculptures from the Plzeň region is planned to be created in the partially renovated convent. This was stated to ČTK by the mayor of Chotěšov, Luděk Rosenberger. The municipality has owned the monastery for 25 years.

Thanks to grants from the Ministry of Culture and the regional government, the municipality has invested over 30 million crowns into the former Premonstratensian monastery, founded between 1202 and 1210, mainly into the roofs and drainage systems, which according to the mayor are not very visible to visitors. The municipality allocates one to two million crowns annually for the maintenance of the monument.

By the beginning of 2020, thanks to EU grants, the tunnels beneath the convent and the facade of the southwest wing will be repaired. In two rooms in the basement, where there was an improvised museum about the history of the building and the municipality, a digitized interactive exhibition will be created. In the corridors and cells on the ground floor, there will be a depository for valuable baroque sculptures from Western Bohemia that can no longer be displayed at their original locations. "An agreement has already been reached with the owners regarding the first six sculptures that will be relocated here and permanently exhibited, including three from the Domažlice parish and others from the castle in Křimice," said Rosenberger. In the future, there will be a restoration workshop open to the public, where copies of the sculptures will be created to return to the open air.

"Demolition and earthworks are already underway, the main boom will begin in the spring," said the mayor. The corner by the monastery church and the entire southwest wing will be renovated from the outside. "Inside, the same wing - all the rooms on the ground floor and the plastering. And on the upper floor, where the ceremonial chapter hall has already been renovated, facilities for weddings and social events," he said.

About a quarter of the external plaster of the convent will be restored, along with the inside of the ground floor and part of the upper floor, totaling one-sixth. The complete renovation would cost around a billion crowns. The sum for the current phases is slightly higher than the municipality's budget. Chotěšov has succeeded in obtaining such large grants for the first time, although it has pursued them three times before. The municipality intends to keep the monument long-term and is not seeking any buyer. "However, we would welcome a sustainable, long-term plan," he stated.

The garden, which occupies about a third of the area, belongs to a private owner, as does the forest office. Both families live there permanently and cooperate with the municipality. Regular tours of the monastery take place from May to the end of September on weekends. Larger groups can contact the manager at any time. Weddings have been held there for several years, with a record 30 taking place this year.