From the former boiler room in the housing estate in Olomouc, there will be a library

Olomouc – A library, community center, a place for discussions, and outdoor seating will be created in the building of the old boiler house on Trnkova Street in a densely populated neighborhood of Olomouc. The reconstruction will be started by a construction company in September. The project will require an investment of 44 million crowns, with most of the costs covered by a grant from European funds. The conversion of the former boiler house into a library will be completed next year. This was announced today by the city hall spokesperson Jana Doleželová.

The city hall decided to transform the unsightly boiler house into a cultural venue due to the long-term lack of library and community spaces in the neighborhood. Thanks to this investment, one large modern library will be added to the two insufficiently capacitated branches on Pešková and Brněnská streets, which will also serve as a community center in addition to its main function.

"Libraries have long since ceased to be mere places for exchanging books; they also serve as meeting places for sharing experiences, developing reading literacy, cooperating with local schools, meeting with parents and young readers, venues for art workshops, or discussions with regional personalities. And precisely these and many other functions should be fulfilled by the new spaces of the city library," stated the mayor's deputy Viktor Tichák (Pirates). The building of the former boiler house is adjacent to a new tram line, and according to Tichák, it will therefore be within walking distance for residents of the city parts Povel, Nové Sady, and Nová Ulice, where approximately 30,000 people live.

The library on Trnkova Street will be created according to the highest-rated proposal from an architectural competition organized in 2020. The winner was the Prague studio kcarch. Their project also includes the creation of outdoor seating bordered by a low wall. "Thanks to sufficient space, the library will be able to meet the needs of all surrounding schools and kindergartens interested in regular discussions or reading circles in the library, and offer the adult population participation in lifelong learning at the educational center or regular meetings within the community," noted Doleželová.