The reconstruction of the Pardubice Castle will begin according to the design of Eva Jiřičná.

Pardubice - The reconstruction of the social spaces at the Pardubice Castle will soon begin. Architect Eva Jiřičná is involved in their transformation, and she has designed, among other things, a glass staircase for the representative part of the monument dating back to the Pernštejn era. She stated this to journalists today.

Jiřičná has proposed a new design for the large hall on the third upper floor of the north wing of the castle. A wavy element will dominate the ceiling, helping to ensure good acoustics. The project also includes a representative foyer and facilities for catering, changing rooms, and sanitary facilities on the second upper floor. The third and second floors will be connected by a glass staircase, which visitors will use to enter the hall.

Jiřičná gained her professional experience abroad. She left for Britain in 1968, three weeks before the Soviet invasion, and was unable to return. She started working there on interior restorations, gaining valuable experience. When she needed to illuminate a basement for the first time, she used a glass staircase. Glass and metal are her materials of choice, she told journalists today.

Initially, she combined glass with plexiglass and metal because glass did not have safety parameters decades ago; that has changed now. According to her design, dozens of glass staircases have been created around the world. Some newer staircases do not use metal at all; for example, one is in New York, she noted.

In Pardubice, the staircase will have a spiral shape, surrounding a column, and will be supported by a stainless-steel mesh that stabilizes movements as visitors walk on it. "I do everything with love, whether it's a building, an interior, or an exhibition. The Pardubice Castle is an amazing structure," said the architect.

She is also supposed to design another exhibition for the castle and furniture for the enfilade, which is a series of historical rooms connected by doors. This includes a rare room with a coffered ceiling, which will undergo reconstruction alongside the hall. The room will serve for ceremonial purposes but will also be part of the tour circuit.

"Our goal is to write contemporary history here. We have professionally examined the wall paintings and possible furnishings. We concluded that we will have this room, according to the preserved fragments, painted as the only one in the castle and furnished with Renaissance-inspired furniture," said Tomáš Libánek, the director of the East Bohemian Museum. The museum is located in the castle.

The company that succeeded in the bidding will carry out the work for more than 165 million crowns. The region will apply for subsidies for the investment, splitting it into multiple budget periods, reserving 74 million crowns for this year. "We are pleased that we have reached an agreement with the National Heritage Institute that allowed us to move forward with the project. We perceive the castle as our regional Hradčany," said Deputy Governor Roman Línek (Coalition for Pardubice Region/KDU-ČSL).

Due to the construction plans, the East Bohemian Museum will temporarily close the archaeological exhibition "Against the Current of Time – Pardubice Region in Prehistory and the Early Middle Ages," from Thursday, April 11, until autumn. The exhibition has been open since 2015 and showcases the history of the region from the 10th century to prehistoric settlement.

"While the exhibition will be temporarily closed, we will make minor adjustments and look forward to the reopening bringing even better and more engaging experiences for our visitors," said museum archaeologist Tereza Jošková.