The competition for the construction of the Christmas nativity museum will be announced by Svitavy only next year

Svitavy – The competition for the construction of the Bethlehem museum will be announced by Svitavy only next year. Initially, the city hall wanted to start the tender this year, but everything was delayed by unforeseen issues with groundwater, said Mayor David Šimek (Association for the City of Svitavy) to ČTK. Therefore, it was necessary to amend the original project documentation.

"During the floods this September, two technical issues with groundwater emerged. The project needed to be supplemented because it wouldn't be wise for water to flow into the basement spaces of the museum," Šimek stated. According to him, the preparation of the project will be delayed by about six months. Due to adjustments to the road and sewer feeder planned by the Directorate of Roads and Highways in the area, the competition will be announced only during the next year.

The building for the Bethlehems is to be constructed on the site of a dilapidated residential building next to the Ottendorfer House near Míru Square. There will be access from two sides, from the square and a side street, and the main entrance area will be located in the space between both buildings. In this newly created foyer, there should be staircases, ramps, and an elevator designed at several height levels. Facilities for visitors, storage, and archives will be located in the underground floor to keep the ground floor free.

In the first phase, an extension to the Ottendorfer House and barrier-free access routes are to be built. At the same time, an exhibition of the Svitavy Mechanical Bethlehem will be established in the interior. This part of the project will cost about 90 million crowns, and the city has already received a promise of a grant of 60 million crowns from the Integrated Regional Operational Program. The next phase includes the furnishing of the museum exhibition on the first and second floors. In the future, a lookout octagonal tower could be added in the third phase, which would also serve as a sign for the Bethlehem museum. Another mechanical Bethlehem, with figures appearing in the tower's windows, is planned to be housed there. Visitors would be able to enter the astronomical clock and observe the mechanics from inside. The visualization of the future museum has been published by the city on its project portal. According to the original schedule, it is expected to open at the end of 2027.

The main exhibit of the museum will be the 15-meter-long Svitavy Mechanical Bethlehem, which has been completely restored; however, there is no suitable place in the city museum for its extensive collection. The entire Bethlehem, with its rich architecture, is a collection of works from several Bethlehem societies from 1826 to 1942. It arrived at the Svitavy museum after 1945, where, apparently, one large Bethlehem was formed from four smaller ones. Originally, the rural part was movable, and the urban part was static. It measures about 15 meters in length and 2.5 meters in height, containing 665 figures and buildings and 62 mechanics. The Bethlehem was transferred to the East Bohemian Museum in Pardubice in the 1960s, where it was partially restored. In 2015, the city reclaimed it.