Castle in Litomyšl in Svitavy Region, July 21, 2022.
Litomyšl (Svitavy Region) – The National Institute of Monuments has decided to start repairs to the castle in Litomyšl . He originally canceled the competition, now he has signed a contract with a new schedule. The monument owners were worried that they would not be able to exhaust the European subsidy from the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP) in time, therefore the work paid for with this money will be done as a matter of priority, and other repairs, including the Manor House, will follow, Miloš Kadlec, director of the territorial administration of the NPÚ in Sychrov, told ČTK.< /p> Advertisement'; }
“It was basically planned this way from the beginning, but it was supposed to go concurrently. Now we have set the schedule precisely to comply with the IROP indicators,” said Kadlec. The European subsidy must be used up by the end of this year.
The overall content of the project and its budget do not change. In the first stage, European money will be used to repair the roofs and interiors of the third above-ground floor of the castle. There are only ten months for construction work, this part of the building must be finished by December. “The remaining stages of the restoration, including the other interiors of the castle, the restoration of the sgraffito facades and the Manor house, financed by the National Cultural Heritage program, should be completed in 2027 according to the plan,” said Lucie Bidlasová, spokeswoman for the NPÚ in Sychrov. From the IROP, the NPÚ will receive 240 million crowns including VAT for construction work from a state subsidy of 380 million crowns including VAT. Another 20 million crowns from IROP will cost the new exhibition.
Due to delays in the tender process, which began on October 21, 2021, caused by objections and the subsequent review by the Office for the Protection of Economic Competition, the preservationists initially canceled the competition in early January. They were worried about the high risk of not completing the project on the required date, which would threaten the return of the European subsidy. In the end, however, they decided otherwise.
“We evaluated the risks, the company presented us with a new schedule, which was assessed by our investment technicians, restorers and guarantors from the General Directorate of the NPÚ. Based on this, we concluded the contract,” said Kadlec.< /p>
In the past, the NPÚ twice failed to obtain a European subsidy for the restoration of the castle and the Manor House. The monument owners said that the projects with the required subsidies of over 250 million crowns were well prepared, but they paid especially for the fact that the buildings are not in a state of disrepair.
The castle in Litomyšl is a valuable example of the adaptation of an Italian Renaissance palace to the conditions of the Alpine countries . It was built in the 1660s and 1680s by Vratislav of Pernštejn as a gift for his wife. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Pernštejn renaissance mansion was supplemented by baroque modifications carried out by other owners, the Trauttmansdorffs and the Waldstein-Wartenbergs, with the participation of leading baroque artists. The castle's preserved family theater from 1797 is unique. The castle was added to the UNESCO list in 1999.
