In Telč, a Central European Center for Cultural Heritage will be established

TELČ (Jihlava Region) - The former Jesuit complex in Telč, in the Jihlava region, will be transformed into a Central European Center for Cultural Heritage over the next few years thanks to a joint project involving Masaryk University (MU), the Czech Technical University (ČVUT), and the National Heritage Institute. "Higher education institutions and the heritage institute will have their facilities in Telč and will closely cooperate with other schools and research institutions from home and abroad," said Senator Václav Jehlička today to ČTK, chair of the Senate Committee for Education, Science, and Culture.
The project cost, which is expected to be completed by 2009, amounts to nine million euros (approximately 270 million crowns). Funding is expected to be secured by 85 percent through grants from the so-called Norwegian Funds.
The project consists of three investment intentions. The first is the renovation and equipping of the building of the former Jesuit college for the needs of the Brno MU. The construction faculty of ČVUT is already building an educational center in the former Jesuit grammar school located adjacent to the college. "From the next academic year, we want to open the first year of bachelor's studies in architecture for more than a hundred students in full-time study," said Jiří Witzany, the rector of ČVUT, to ČTK.
The facilities of both universities will be interconnected by a courtyard and garden. According to MU rector Petr Fiala, the entire university complex in the city center could accommodate around a thousand students.
The regional office of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) for Vysočina in a nearby building of the former Jesuit hospital could start operations in 2008 according to the director of NPÚ in Brno, Jaromír Míčka. However, the building is awaiting comprehensive reconstruction. In addition to field conservators, there will also be specialists in restoration and experts in folk architecture. The joint research activities of all three institutions will be directly focused on the protection of cultural monuments, added Jehlička.
The establishment of the Center for Cultural Heritage is considered by Minister of Culture Vítězslav Jandák to be a unique endeavor in Central Europe. "It is one of the ways in which monuments should be utilized in the future," said Jandák during his visit to the city today.
The Jesuit complex, including the college and grammar school, was established in Telč in the mid-17th century with the arrival of the Jesuits in the city. The so-called Laner House, which housed the Jesuit hospital, dates from the same period. The order in Telč was dissolved in 1773. The buildings remained without significant maintenance, and their use in subsequent years did not reflect the significance they had in the past.