The government approved an investment program for cultural buildings

Prague - The government today approved the financing of 17 projects for the reconstruction and new construction of public cultural institutions over the next nine years. A total of eight billion crowns is to be allocated for repairs of the Exhibition Palace and the New Stage in Prague, for example. Minister of Culture Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) informed about the approval of the new program on Twitter.

"The Czech Republic government has just approved 17 projects under the program 'Care for National Cultural Heritage I.' With a total financial balance of 7.873 billion CZK. This is a national grant program for the period 2019-2028," Staněk wrote.

The relevant institutions are expected to draw funds from the program between 2019 and 2028. The Care for National Cultural Heritage I program builds on a previous similar project, specifically providing support for seven national cultural institutions and a total sum of 7.8 billion crowns. The highest sum, nearly 2.5 billion crowns, is planned for the National Heritage Institute, while the National Technical Museum is to draw 1.7 billion. Amounts between half a billion and a billion crowns are then designated for the National Theatre, National Museum, National Gallery, Museum of Art in Olomouc, and National Film Archive.

"Among the most significant (projects), I would mention the heritage restoration of the Invalidovna building, as well as the implementation of the art museum project, the so-called SEFO, or the construction of the museum of railways and retro technology at Masaryk Station in Prague. This project is nationwide and is not concentrated in specific locations, so I would also include the restoration of the castle complex in Uherčice among those projects," said the minister during the press conference. He also mentioned the planned reconstruction of parts of the Plasy monastery and the restoration of the manorial courtyard in Ratibořice.

Since 2006, the Care for National Cultural Treasures Program has been operational, which funded, for example, the reconstruction of the historic building of the National Museum, the Museum of Decorative Arts, the State Opera, and the revitalization of Klementinum. Originally, the program with a budget of ten billion was supposed to run until 2014, but it has been extended several times. Its utilization was delayed for years, and politicians also made changes to it, as it originally included funding for a new building for the National Library, which was ultimately rejected.