In the Pardubice Castle, a representative hall will be created according to the study by Eva Jiřičná

Pardubice - The Pardubice Region has announced a tender for a company that will build a representative hall with facilities in the northern wing of Pardubice Castle. The project was developed by the Masák & Partner studio based on a study by the AI - DESIGN studio of architect Eva Jiřičná, as stated in a press release by Zuzana Nováková from the governor's office. The region is trying to obtain a grant for the renovations.

“At the castle, which is owned by the region, we still have two large constructions to complete: a community hall and a visitor center. We have now given the green light to the first one, the community hall, with an estimated value of the construction part of 157 million crowns including VAT. Given the dependence of the project on grant financing from the European Union's Integrated Regional Operational Program, we proposed a procedure whereby the contractor will be invited to take over the construction site only upon receiving information about the grant," stated Governor Martin Netolický (3PK/ČSSD).

The project primarily includes a large hall on the third above-ground floor. It will also feature a representative foyer and facilities for catering, dressing rooms, and sanitary facilities on the second above-ground floor. "Both floors of the northern wing will form an organic whole connected by a glass staircase, which is how Eva Jiřičná became famous in the world," said Deputy Governor for Culture and Investments Roman Línek (Coalition for Pardubice Region).

The hall will have a capacity for over 200 people and must meet all acoustic, aesthetic, and fire safety parameters, including barrier-free access. Construction is expected to begin in early 2024, and the contractor will have 30 months to complete it, followed by the furnishing of the interiors. The project will include the addition of furniture on the third above-ground floor, thereby completing the castle palace's tour route. "We want to embark on an ambitious reconstruction of the room with a beautiful coffered ceiling and have illusionistic paintings on the walls added, equipping it with copies of historical furniture to return it to its appearance in the 1540s," said Tomáš Libánek, director of the East Bohemian Museum.

From 2013 to last year, the Pardubice Region spent 363 million crowns on repair projects at the castle and other related works. This includes, for example, the construction of a depository in Ohrazenice and the restoration of older buildings in the former educational complex, where operations were moved from the historic spaces of the castle.

The Gothic-Renaissance castle in Pardubice was built by the lords of Pernštejn on the site of an original fortress. In 1560, the Pernštejns sold Pardubice to the king. The main community hall was the second largest in Bohemia at the time, after the Vladislav Hall.

The Pardubice Castle ceased to serve as a noble residence after the departure of the Pernštejns, thereafter becoming the administrative seat for the royal estate, and later housed apartments for retired soldiers, warehouses, and the like. In 1920, it was purchased by the Museum Society for its collections. In the 1950s, the castle complex was taken over by the state, which left the main building largely to its own fate, leading to the collapse of ceilings on the third floor. Significant repairs only began in the 1990s under the management of the East Bohemian Museum, leading to the reopening of the castle in 1997. The Pardubice Region has owned the castle since 2001, and it has been a national cultural monument since 2010.