The mosaic has returned to the health center building in Chlumec in the Ústí region

Chlumec - The mosaic by Antonín Procházka has returned to the building of the health center in Chlumec in the Ústí nad Labem region after restoration. It is no longer on the outer façade but hidden inside, to better protect it from inclement weather and vandalism. The renovation of the building, which will house doctors' offices, will be completed next year. Lenka Kindlová (independent) stated this to ČTK.

In recent years, the town hall has been trying to approach the restoration of monuments in a conceptual way. One of them is the mosaic from 1976. "It's somewhat of a less typical monument that cultivates public space. Before the renovation of the building, we had to decide whether to destroy the mosaic or try to save the artwork," Kindlová said. "Nowadays, such a thing would cost several million crowns. The materials used might not even be available anymore. It is a work that undoubtedly has artistic value," she added. The cost of rescuing the mosaic was just under a million crowns.

A year ago, experts led by Magdalena Kracík Štorkánová removed the mosaic using a diamond rope. The piece, nearly three by three meters in size, had to be cut into four parts. It weighed about a ton. "We used this technique for the very first time here. Because the diamond rope overheats, everything had to be done carefully under flowing water. The building was in renovation, so it didn't matter," Štorkánová said. The entire piece transported to the studio weighed approximately a ton. Renovation followed. "The appearance corresponded to 50 years in the exterior. Something was missing, because sometimes people had chipped off pieces, there were various graffiti in some places, and everything was covered in dust, which altered the colors," she described.

In recent days, the mosaic, depicting an abstract flower, has returned. Štorkánová and her colleague placed the four pieces on the wall in the interior and grouted them. "Now it won't be subject to external influences and will be protected from vandals. It will last at least another 50 years," said the artist, who appreciated that the initiative came from the city.

The public will see the mosaic after the opening of the health center, which will feature two general practitioner offices, a pediatrician, a dentist, and a pharmacy, which has been lacking in the five-thousand-inhabitant town. "There could also be a dental hygienist or anything else," noted the deputy mayor.

Renovation work on the long-unused building began this January and was originally supposed to finish in January 2026. "At this moment, we have received a request for an extension of the project from the contractor, due to the necessity of additionally addressing the structural integrity of the 1970s building," Kindlová said. Completion is now expected in April, and the facility will open in the middle of next year. The cost of the reconstruction is 43.4 million crowns. The town hall is currently considering the amount of the subsidy it could receive.