The Baroque granary in Chanovice has undergone façade restoration

Chanovice (Klatovy Region) - The extensive Baroque granary in Chanovice, Klatovy Region, has undergone a complete restoration of its original facade. The nearly three-year restoration of the facades of the three-story building cost 3.5 million Czech crowns. The Plzeň Region covered 2.4 million crowns, the Ministry of Culture contributed 600,000 crowns, and the Dr. Hostaš Regional Museum in Klatovy, which uses the building, contributed 500,000 crowns, said museum director Luboš Smolík today to ČTK.
    The granary was established as a grain storage facility in 1740 by the then owner of the estate, Ferdinand Chanovský. Unlike other granaries from that period that have survived in West Bohemia, the Chanovice granary stands out not only for its size but also for its intricate and decorated facade. The building is 40 meters long, 15 meters wide, and approximately 15 meters high.
    "For almost the entire duration of its history, it has not been maintained structurally," said Smolík. The only significant repairs took place at the beginning of the 1990s when the Klatovy Museum had the roof repaired for approximately one million crowns, and now, when the white-gray-red facade has been restored.
    The museum uses the building as a repository for its extensive collections of agricultural tools and household needs. According to Smolík, the internal wooden structures of the building do not require any major repairs.
    In addition to the granary, the museum in Chanovice also owns the only open-air museum of folk architecture in the Plzeň Region and one of the youngest open-air museums in the country. It has been developing since around 1994, and gradually more than a thousand volunteers, mainly students, have participated in its creation. The open-air museum features around 15 objects - from small crosses to large barns and granaries, as well as two residential buildings. Enthusiasts and history lovers disassembled and relocated them from various parts of the foothills of the Šumava Mountains. The farms are about 200 years old.