In Valašské Klobouky, the restoration of the historical building Beseda is being prepared

Valašské Klobouky - The historical building Beseda is set to be renovated in Valašské Klobouky in the Zlín region. Its owner is TJ Sokol. In addition to the owner and the town, the Czech Sokol Community and the Folklorika Basic Art School (ZUŠ) have joined the initiative. A memorandum on a joint approach to saving Beseda was signed by their representatives at the end of last year. The goal is to save this significant monument and create a modern center for meetings and artistic education that will serve the entire region and cross-border cooperation, spokesperson Lenka Zvonková informed CTK today.

"Things are slowly starting to look up for Beseda. For TJ Sokol, the management of the building was beyond its capabilities, and so we jointly sought possible solutions. We succeeded – and the building is already transitioning to the management of the Czech Sokol Community in Prague, which has expressed a strong willingness to restore the property and give it new life," said Mayor Josef Bělaška (BEZPP for Klobučané together).

Meanwhile, the roof reconstruction of the Sokol gymnasium, which is located in the courtyard behind Beseda, has also been completed. "The goal is to preserve both buildings, Beseda and the Sokol gymnasium, and to bring back a diverse range of activities to the area, which is beginning to take shape from both the owner and the future tenant, which will be ZUŠ Folklorika," stated the mayor.

"The year 2026 will be the year of Beseda. This year marks two significant anniversaries, namely 130 years since its completion and 90 years under Sokol's ownership. Our symbolic gift will be the construction of a pilot project of a cross-border Sokol center, which will serve as a space for meetings of communities from both the Czech and Slovak sides. The second pillar will be the content of the folklore and artistic center, which perfectly complements this idea," stated Peter Szénásy, deputy mayor of the Czech Sokol Community.

The tenant will be ZUŠ Folklorika. "It has been agreed that ZUŠ Folklorika will develop its requirements for the spaces and their specific use so that the individual stages of reconstruction can begin to be planned. The first focus will probably be on the renovation of the hall and its facilities so that activities for leisure clubs can take place here," said the deputy mayor of the town, Jaroslav Baloušek (BEZPP for Val. Kl. – city for life). In later phases, it will be necessary to replace windows and address energy savings, for example.

The arrangement of the building, especially due to the hall with a stage, is advantageous for the school. "The spaces of Beseda offer us an ideal opportunity to concentrate the activities of all our artistic disciplines in one place. We want to create a facility in Valašské Klobouky that can be used by both students from this region and those from our other branches, where an ideal environment for various集中 can be created thanks to accommodation under one roof," said Tomáš Štefánek, director of ZUŠ Folklorika. The public will be able to tour the spaces of Beseda on Saturday, February 21, during a guided tour.