The revolving auditorium in Český Krumlov in a picture from April 13, 2020.
Vimperk (Prachaticko) – The new revolving auditorium in Český Krumlov will be built in ten years at the earliest, South Bohemian Governor Martin Kuba (ODS) told journalists after the government meeting in Vimperk. The costs can be up to two billion CZK. It should be in the former castle garden. The condition is that the government decides on the construction, Kuba said. This year, the state is facing increased pressure from UNESCO to document how it will solve the problem, said Culture Minister Martin Baxa (ODS). Memorialists and UNESCO have long criticized the fact that the carousel is in the garden.
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Kuba mentioned that a more modern auditorium could be created that would meet European standards. “But you have to tell yourself that it won't happen tomorrow or in a year. If the government, the South Bohemian Region and the city of České Budějovice decide to do it, it will happen in ten years at the earliest. Land needs to be acquired for this, they are in private ownership, we are negotiating with the owners if they would even be accessible,” Kuba said.
This year, the Ministry of Culture will announce what the new revolving auditorium will look like. The turntable and its location will probably be discussed at the UNESCO meeting in Saudi Arabia in the fall. Baxa told journalists today. “Unfortunately, this year we are facing increased pressure from the UNESCO organization to demonstrate how we are going to solve the issue of the revolving auditorium,” said the minister.
Both Baxa and Kuba said they were working on an option that would have the turnstile located in the former castle garden. Its background would also be created, as director of the South Bohemian Theater Lukáš Průdek and Krumlov deputy mayor Zbyněk Toman (ODS) told ČTK in February. Before the new auditorium is ready, the current one in the castle garden should be played. According to the former government's National Investment Plan for the years 2020 to 2050, the cost estimate for the construction of the new turntable was about 1.5 billion CZK.
“The revolving auditorium is a phenomenon that has an amazing genius loci. The preservationists have repaired the summer house of Bellarie and it is more difficult to combine it with the operation of the theater. We are looking for a way to combine the operation of the theater with the fact that Bellarie is accessible. We must succeed, if this does not work , it would be a big problem. The South Bohemian Region and the city of České Budějovice fundamentally insist that an agreement be found. We are looking for a solution where the theater and preservationists will be able to coexist in the long term. It is unacceptable for us that (the auditorium) would be closed in any way , before we find the solution,” said Kuba.
České Budějovice, to which the turntable belongs, has a contract with the preservationists to lease the castle garden until the end of this year. The working group under the Ministry of Culture is discussing the contract for the year 2024 and how the current turnstile will work at the repaired Bellaria.
Last year, the South Bohemian Theater attracted 52,469 spectators to the Krumlov turnstile with revenues of CZK 43.9 million. This year, from June 2 to September 10, he will present six titles there. The turntable in Český Krumlov brings the theater four fifths of all sales. The South Bohemian Theater includes drama, opera, ballet and the Malé divadlo ensemble. This year, the operating contribution from the city of České Budějovice is almost 154 million crowns. The theater has been playing in the Krumlov castle garden since 1958.
