The Renaissance summer residence in Česká Lípa has been taken over by builders; it is set to undergo reconstruction

Česká Lípa – The Renaissance lodge in Česká Lípa and two adjacent buildings have been handed over to builders today, who will begin renovations. In the so-called Red House and the adjoining buildings, exhibitions of the Regional Museum and Gallery of Česká Lípa will be established, as well as specialized workplaces and depositaries. The budget for this has over 100 million crowns allocated by the Liberec Region, said Governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) to ČTK during the project's inauguration today.

The lodge is one of the most valuable monuments of its kind in the region, built in the style of Northern Italian Renaissance near the water castle Lipý by Jiří Jetřich Berka of Dubé in 1583. The building acquired its current appearance during a renovation at the end of the 19th century. It is a two-story structure of an irregular floor plan adorned with sgraffiti featuring an open loggia. It is not clear externally why the house is referred to as "red"; it has been called that since the 19th century, according to museum director Zdeněk Vitáček, likely because fabrics were dyed there.

The museum director's dream of reconstructing the lodge has been fulfilled, a dream he has had since 1995. "In the most valuable object, meaning in the Red House, which is a monument protected by law, there will be exhibitions, making this object accessible to the public. A new branch of ours will be created here, where we will showcase fabric printing and dyeing on the ground floor, and on the first floor, there will be an exhibition about the Berka family and their significance for Česká Lípa, and the history of the entire object," Vitáček added.

In the adjoining houses, there will be facilities for museum staff. "There will be specialized workshops, a conservation and preparation workshop. There will be offices for central collection documentation and so-called auxiliary depositaries. Before the collection items are moved into the central depositary, they will be processed and conserved here," the museum director added. Although the adjacent buildings do not have heritage protection, they are in a heritage zone. Therefore, heritage officers will supervise the project.

Until now, the lodge has not been regularly accessible to the public, but it will open thanks to the project "Landscape and Man – in the Museum Live and Virtually", which connects the Česká Lípa museum and the City Museum in Bad Schandau, Germany. Thanks to this, the Liberec Region managed to secure 42 million crowns for the project from the cross-border Interreg Czech-Saxony program. By 2028, exhibitions focusing on Czech-Saxon cultural heritage will be established in Česká Lípa and Bad Schandau.

According to Česká Lípa Mayor Jitka Volfová (ANO), the city will also collaborate on the project, which will involve modifying the area in front of the Red House and the path along the nearby Textile Printing Center and to the water castle. The plan includes new paving, and the city wants to transform the entire area into a pleasant place for meeting and hosting cultural events.