In the Kladruby Monastery, the reconstruction has ended, and people will see previously inaccessible parts

Kladruby - From April 1, visitors to the Benedictine monastery of Kladruby in Tachov will be able to see the previously inaccessible spaces of the old and new convent for the first time. The national cultural monument has completed the largest reconstruction in its modern history after two and a half years. It cost 165 million crowns, of which over 100 million was a subsidy from the EU. In two tours, people will be able to learn about the life of the monks and the Windischgrätz family, which bought the premises of the abolished monastery in the 19th century. Today, during the ceremonial completion of the reconstruction, Petr Pavelec, the director of the České Budějovice branch of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), said this.

The monastery has been plundered and damaged several times during its 900 years of existence; its poor state was also affected by the past regime when state farms and forests were located there. The restoration of the monument began as early as the late 1960s, but significant repairs finally occurred in the last 20 years. "I am glad that thanks to the project Life in the Order, we were able to continue the rescue and restoration of this exceptionally significant European complex, parts of which were in a state of emergency. The construction restoration also brought unexpected archaeological finds," said NPÚ General Director Naďa Goryczková. In addition to a medieval skeletal grave at the site of the paradise courtyard, the exploration in the convent uncovered remnants of a brewery and malt house from the 19th century.

On the new route named Monastery, visitors will learn about the life of the monks in the baroque monastery, see their accommodation, meals, spiritual life, work, and rest. The route includes a common dining hall, a novitiate, and rooms representing the activities the Benedictines engaged in. "We will showcase items related to bookbinding, timekeeping, and cartography,” said the steward Milan Zoubek. The monastery tour will also include a visit to the reconstructed paradise courtyard of the old convent. Gardeners planted about 80 species of plants and 450 roses there. There are plants from medieval monasteries, symbolic baroque plants, various types of vegetables, herbs, and medicinal plants as well as less common species, such as mandrake or feverfew. The highlight of the circuit will be a tour of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary.

The Castle route will present the famous Windischgrätz family, which owned the premises from 1825 to 1945. Individual rooms focus on the history of the family, Alfred I and his wife Eleonora, as well as the economic use of the estate. It also features a unique princely library with 25,000 volumes.

"The Kladruby Monastery represents hundreds of years of Czech statehood, ecclesiastical, and cultural history and is an exceptional architectural heritage. I am very pleased that this historical gem is once again opening to the public and that people will see the beauty of this monument,” said Minister of Culture Martin Baxa (ODS). He reminded that in Kladruby, the renowned architect Jan Blažej Santini–Aichel worked at the beginning of the 18th century, according to whose design the monastery church was reconstructed. Another famous architect, Kylián Ignác Diezenhofer, also contributed to the baroque reconstruction.

According to the steward, the reconstruction included demanding work that involved lowering floor levels, removing non-original installations and unsuitable partitions, and clearing rubble and waste. The aim of the work was primarily to rehabilitate baroque architecture and clean the buildings. Despite the extensive reconstruction just completed, work on restoring the monastery is not finished. "For us, this large complex is still not structurally and restoratively in order. We want to continue this work for at least as long as it takes for it to look as it did in its glorious days in the 18th century. I think we are currently only in the first quarter of the work,” said Pavelec. About a third of the new convent has been repaired so far; the entire western and southern wings, the upper floor of the building, and other structures, as well as the façades in the courtyard and similar aspects, still need repair, Zoubek added.