In Stodůlky, a depositary of the Museum of Applied Arts will be built

Prague - Construction of a central depository for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague (UPM) has begun in Stodůlky, Prague. This long-delayed building is intended to house numerous museum collections, and its completion is also essential for the long-planned reconstruction of the museum's main building. The depository is expected to be finished, including trial operation, by the end of 2015, Miroslav Fuks, spokesperson for PSJ, the company building the depository, said today.
    This week, the company started excavation work. The depository will be built as a low-energy standard building. It will have a circular floor plan and a green roof. The project was designed by the Pelhřimov-based company AS PROJECT CZ.
    The construction will be financed from the National Cultural Heritage Care Program, from which the state pays for the reconstruction or new construction of several state cultural institutions' premises. The spokesperson for PSJ mentioned today that the construction will cost 231 million crowns excluding VAT. When the government approved the call for tenders for the depository's construction a year ago, the estimated cost was 390 million crowns excluding VAT.
    By building the central depository, UPM aims to acquire new spaces for housing valuable artworks in its care. It will also set up new research facilities and space for relocating collection items and workplaces related to the reconstruction of the museum's main building in the Old Town. The depository will include an exhibition hall and a café that will be accessible to the public.
    Only after the depository is under construction will a decision be made regarding the timing of the reconstruction of the historical UPM building. Last autumn, a new exhibition of Art Nouveau art was created from the museum's rich collections at the Municipal House, which will last for two years. The museum will also prepare an exhibition of Cubism from its collections at the House at the Black Mother of God on Celetná Street.
    The National Cultural Heritage Care Program was approved by the government in 2006 with a budget of 10.3 billion crowns, with two billion of that expected to come from the abolished National Property Fund (FNM). The program was created because the repairs of the historical premises of the mentioned institutions, or new buildings, which originally included a new National Library building, are so expensive that they cannot be funded solely from the Ministry of Culture's regular budget. However, there has been a delay in accessing funds from the program. Over seven years, only 2.5 billion has been spent.
    PSJ is one of the largest construction companies in the Czech Republic. For example, it participated in the construction of the BB Centre administrative complex in Prague, the Golden Angel complex in Smíchov, and the Main Point Karlin building; in Brno, it constructed the tallest building in the Czech Republic, AZ TOWER. PSJ is also engaged in its own development projects.