The renovation of the České Budějovice cultural house Slavie cost 1.055 billion CZK

České Budějovice – The renovation of the cultural house Slavie in České Budějovice cost 1.055 billion crowns. This is approximately 400 million crowns more than the originally estimated price. According to the deputy mayor of České Budějovice, Petr Maroš (Naše Česko), the increase in cost was caused by the fact that the project was not well-prepared. He stated this today to ČTK during a city council meeting.

"There were missing elements in the project. The architectural company that was chosen probably was not the right fit, as its architects had no experience with public contracts in the Czech Republic and with the renovation of historical monuments. When some issues started to emerge during the renovation, we realized that the architects did not know how to handle them. I am convinced that preparation and addressing all issues at the beginning is very important," he said.

The reconstruction was pushed through by the previous coalition, in which the strongest parties were ANO and the Citizens for Budějovice movement. The current city leadership, which was in opposition at the time, criticized the project for a long time. The renovation will partially change the layout of the building. The cultural house will be complemented by a glass extension, and the social hall on the upper floor and the gym on the ground floor will be removed.

The renovation of the Slavie in České Budějovice began two years ago. It was originally set to finish last autumn, but ultimately, due to various complications, the opening date was pushed to December 29. The city received a grant of 177 million crowns for the renovation of Slavie from the National Recovery Plan. Due to the prolongation of work, it risked losing its entitlement to the grant. However, it ultimately met the deadlines for drawing down the grant.

"We filed eight complaints against the designer. All were rejected, and as a public contracting authority, we have no other option; if we do not reach an agreement, we will have to pursue it legally. A lot of additional work is related to the fact that those items were missing from the budget. The truth is also that not everything was accounted for in the original proposal. The total amount for the reconstruction is astronomical," said Maroš.

The restoration of the cultural house Slavie has been discussed in České Budějovice for several years. Originally a German association house, it was built between 1871 and 1872. It was designed as a cultural, social, and political center for the Germans of České Budějovice. During the Nazi regime, it became a center of German Hitlerian nationalism; later it housed the regional secretariat of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia, then it was handed over to the city and subsequently served the army. In 1960, the Ministry of Defense transferred it to the state, and the state gave it back to the city two years later. In the years leading up to the renovation, the cultural house remained in operation but had numerous deficiencies.