The government will decide on the cancellation of the promise of millions for the library and gallery

Prague - The government will decide on Wednesday whether to withdraw its promise of hundreds of millions in contributions for the construction of a scientific library in Ostrava and a gallery in Pardubice. The previous cabinet of Jan Fischer approved a resolution promising up to 490 million crowns for the Ostrava library and 180 million crowns for the Pardubice gallery. According to Minister of Culture Jiří Besser (TOP 09), the state does not have the money for such investments during times of austerity measures.
    "In the current economic situation, the Ministry of Culture cannot secure funding for such an ambitious construction," said the minister regarding the Ostrava library. According to the minister, the Moravian-Silesian Region should secure the funding for the library itself. The library was originally to be built with the help of the European Union. However, the new leadership of the region (ČSSD and KSČM) decided to use the promised 600 million crowns in healthcare and education.
    Besser is also bothered by the fact that Fischer's government decided on the contribution of up to 490 million crowns just under three weeks before the parliamentary elections. "The new leadership of the Ministry of Culture does not consider this a standard step," said the minister's spokesperson Stanislav Brunclík to ČTK.
    The new construction of the library, designed by the Brno studio KUBA & PILAŘ architects, nicknamed 'the black cube', already has a building permit. For preparation, including project documentation, the region will pay a total of over 56 million crowns.
    Fischer's government decided on the contribution for the Pardubice gallery at the request of the previous Minister of Culture Václav Riedlbauch last October.
    Current Minister Besser claims he wants to take care primarily of state property. The state, for example, owns more than 120 castles and chateaus, which are managed by the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ) as a contributory organization of the Ministry of Culture. However, the castles and chateaus are burdened with internal debts of up to 60 billion crowns. "It is necessary to prioritize care for this state property, then further investments and contributions to regions or municipalities can be possible," said the minister to parliament members at the cultural committee on Thursday.