<Agricultural Museum is seeking strategic partners for reconstruction>

Prague - The National Agricultural Museum (NZM) is seeking strategic partners for the planned complete reconstruction of the historic building in Letná, Prague. Due to inappropriate construction interventions over the past 50 years, it no longer meets exhibition purposes and the storage of collections. Experts estimate the costs at 400 million crowns, announced museum spokesperson Lubomír Maršík today. If the project documentation is approved and funding is secured, the work is expected to take place in 2016-2017. The museum is overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture.
    "The main challenge is obtaining financial resources. Of the estimated amount for the reconstruction, a full 350 million crowns will be required for construction and renovation work. The remainder will be allocated for creating new exhibits that meet the requirements for modern museum spaces of the 21st century," said Maršík. He estimates that the renovated museum could attract up to 200,000 visitors annually.
    "For such a large-scale investment, it is necessary to find strategic partners, not only for financial reasons. We have a plan that for each thematic exhibition created after the complete reconstruction of the building, we are looking for a partner or partners. This should be a public or non-profit institution or an entrepreneur operating in the relevant field," said NZM Director Jan Půček. Eight exhibitions will focus on agriculture, forestry and hunting, fishing, rural development including rural architecture and landscape, gardening and floristry, viticulture and brewing, and various areas of food industry.
    Each partner should bring financial resources or know-how that will be utilized in the creation of new exhibition spaces, programs for schools, and last but not least, events for the public. In return, they will gain the opportunity to present their activities and visibility through collaboration with the museum. "We are currently negotiating with the company Lesy ČR, which should be the pilot partner for the forestry exhibition, and the Museum of Gastronomy. It offers to relocate its exhibition to our building," said Maršík.
    The functionalist building of the National Agricultural Museum, along with the adjacent National Technical Museum, creates a unique complex that was realized in the late 1930s by the renowned interwar architect Milan Babuška. Just a few years after the completion of the agricultural museum building, however, it was occupied by invaders, and the valuable collections had to be moved elsewhere.
    "After the communist coup in 1948, the company Stavoprojekt was located here. There were inappropriate structural modifications, which we still perceive today. Consequently, the possibilities for full-fledged use for museum purposes are limited," said Půček. In addition to resolving improperly divided spaces, the reconstruction will address the museum's technical networks, building stability, and the building's exterior facade.