The furnishing of the Imperial Baths with furniture is becoming complicated, the region is also looking for chairs in addition to bathtubs

Karlovy Vary – The contract for the furnishings and equipment of the Imperial Spa is becoming complicated again. After the Karlovy Vary Region has repeatedly attempted to find a supplier for replicas of historical spa baths, it is similarly unsuccessful in its search for suppliers of theater chairs. The furniture and equipment for the national cultural monument should correspond to the project and the requirements of conservationists, but there are no suppliers available on the market. This was stated by the regional councilor for culture, Oľga Haláková (KDU-ČSL).

"We have not been able to tender the contract. There are various reasons for this, none of which are on our side, and we believe it will eventually work out. But it is a national cultural monument, and it cannot be equipped with just any furniture. You can't just put in standard or unified furniture, and that would be a shame," Haláková stated.

In September, it seemed that chairs for the Imperial Spa would be secured. In the competition, they selected a supplier who applied as the only one. However, just before signing the contract, at the beginning of October, the winning company wrote to the region that the product they offered is no longer available on the market and is not being produced. Although the participant offered a different product to the region, it did not meet the technical parameters specified in the tender documentation. Therefore, the participant had to be excluded from the selection process. "Given that after the exclusion of the participant, there will be no remaining participants in this part of the tender process, the tender procedure will be canceled," states the reasoning from the regional office.

The situation is similar for the replicas of the spa baths. The Karlovy Vary Region has repeatedly issued a tender for suppliers and has also sought them out through a so-called market consultation. So far, however, no manufacturer has been found willing to embark on the production of replicas of historical baths. Potential suppliers for the spa baths have suggested a method of production using modern technologies, such as 3D printing, claiming that the result would look identical to the originals at first glance. However, the project documentation would need to be altered.

For the reconstruction of the Imperial Spa, the region received a grant from the Ministry of Culture. However, it is conditional upon meeting requirements, including the faithful preservation of the appearance of the original spa building. At the time, it was the most modern spa in Europe.