H. Králové is still interested in the Expo pavilion, addressing the subsidy for its purchase and placement

Hradec Králové - The city of Hradec Králové is still interested in the Czech pavilion from the World Exhibition Expo in Japan, which ends on Monday. The city hall is mainly dealing with possibilities for funding its purchase and relocation to Eastern Bohemia. They are also investigating where the pavilion could be located in the future. This was stated to ČTK by the mayor of Hradec Králové, Pavlína Springerová (Hradec Democratic Club). According to her, a condition for obtaining the pavilion is that the funding covers at least approximately 85 percent of the costs, which are estimated to be up to 280 million crowns.

The Czech participation in Expo did not comment in detail on the ongoing negotiations regarding the future of the pavilion. "Three basic options for further action still apply – sale of the pavilion to the Czech Republic, sale to Japan, or the sale of individual parts of the pavilion," said Jana Kohoutová, spokesperson for the Czech participation at Expo, to ČTK. She added that after the end of the exhibition, the exhibition grounds, according to the plans of the Japanese organizers, will gradually be transformed back into a construction site. "First, valuable items will be removed, followed by the deinstallation of individual parts of the exhibition. The dismantling of the pavilions will take place only in the winter months," she stated.

The possibility of acquiring the spiral-shaped pavilion made of wood and glass is, according to the mayor, still open and is under consideration. "Other placement options are being examined, and especially funding support options at the Ministry for Regional Development. At this moment, we do not have any specific response yet," she said. In discussions about the location of the pavilion, which has a usable area of 2,300 square meters, Šimkovy sady near the city center have been mentioned most frequently so far.

It should be clearer about the whole matter by November 4, when a meeting of the Hradec Králové council will take place. "It is likely that the city council will discuss a resolution that will express its position on the topic. However, the resolution will most likely be formulated as conditional regarding the need to obtain funding," the mayor stated. So far, the city authorities have not made any decisions regarding the pavilion.

The costs for purchasing and relocating the pavilion to Hradec Králové were estimated by Ondřej Soška, the commissioner for the Czech participation at Expo, in discussions with council members and the public in August and September, to be between 206 to 278 million crowns. The pavilion itself, which is designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, would cost around 130 to 150 million crowns. Soška ruled out the possibility of donating the pavilion to the city.

If no one buys the pavilion, it could, according to Soška, be sold in Japan for construction materials, which could yield around 40 million crowns.

According to the mayor, the pavilion would significantly support tourism in Hradec Králové, strengthen the cultural identity of the city, and bring unique spaces usable by institutions from across the Czech Republic. Critics of the purchase point out the unclear utilization of the pavilion and unknown future operating costs. According to Soška, concerts, exhibitions, conferences, or festivals could be held in it.

The intention to purchase has previously been criticized by the director of the Hradec Králové Gallery of Modern Art, František Zachoval. According to him, the pavilion does not have the parameters of world architecture. He believes that utilizing the pavilion, for example, for gallery purposes is inappropriate.

Since the start of Expo in April, more than 1.5 million visitors have passed through the pavilion. According to Soška, the Czech pavilion is among the top exhibits at Expo, has excellent acoustics, and guests are enthusiastic about it. The Expo is attended by 158 countries including the Czech Republic and seven international organizations. So far, over 28 million people have visited the exhibition.