In the Plzeň house with Loos interiors, there will be a new Patton Museum

Plzeň - The leadership of Plzeň is working on preparations for a new Patton Museum. It is part of the coalition's program statement, which was published at the beginning of April. The museum will be created in a large building at Klatovská 19, where a valuable interior designed by architect Adolf Loos will be restored. The reconstruction of the house, including interactive exhibitions, is estimated to cost tens of millions of crowns, and the city intends to seek a grant for this purpose. The Patton Memorial Museum Pilsen is currently located in the municipal building of the cultural house Peklo on Pobřežní street, which is in very poor condition.

"Work on the project documentation for the reconstruction of Klatovská 19 is running intensively," said mayor Martin Baxa (ODS) to ČTK. According to him, it will be a complete reconstruction costing tens to hundreds of millions of crowns. According to information from ČTK, estimates hover around 200 million CZK. "There might be a chance to obtain a grant," he stated. The museum at Klatovská 19 should have at least twice the space. Plans include an air-raid shelter, American military equipment including a Sherman tank in the courtyard, a café, and a new headquarters for the municipal organization Plzeň - TURISMUS.

The city aims to repair both the building at Klatovská 19 and KD Peklo. However, it currently lacks funds for these constructions. The monumentally protected Peklo, which had to be closed last year due to its deteriorating condition, is expected to require between a quarter to half a billion crowns. City councilors are set to decide on one of the options in May. At the end of last year, the city allocated 20 million crowns for the replacement of boilers, piping, radiators, and sanitary facilities in the building.

Loos designed an apartment in Klatovská 19 for industrialist Hugo Semler, whose family had to flee from the Nazis. During the war, it served as the headquarters for the Wehrmacht; on May 6, 1945, the Germans signed their capitulation with the Americans there, and shortly after, the commander of the German garrison in Plzeň, Georg von Majewski, committed suicide in the house. The house then served the military administration for several decades until the army handed it over to the city in 2005. Since then, it has been closed, but this Saturday, Plzeň - TURISMUS will hold special guided tours there.

The Patton Museum will be temporarily open again at KD Peklo during the traditional Freedom Celebrations from May 3 to 6, the largest celebrations of the end of World War II in the Czech Republic. According to the festival program, tours will be held every day from 09:00 to 18:00. "Not only is a better environment being created for visitors and curators, but the exhibition space is also changing," said Helena Mařanová from Plzeň - TURISMUS.

"The area is the same, but we will offer a broader view of the history of the liberation of Plzeň and the region in connection with the Allies' landing in Normandy," said curator Ivan Rollinger. According to him, visitors after 15 years of operation deserve to see exhibits that the museum has acquired and which have been hidden in the depository due to the size and capabilities of the previous exhibition. "After all, we will have to wait a few more years for the opening of a brand new museum at Klatovská 19," he added.