Havlíčkův Brod has its architectural manual

Havlíčkův Brod - In Havlíčkův Brod, experts mapped 80 significant buildings constructed since 1900. A team of art historians worked nearly a year on an architectural manual costing 1.4 million crowns. The database, which outlines the architectural development of the city over the past 125 years, was published this month on the website, said the city spokesperson Zuzana Melounová today. It includes, for example, school buildings, villas from the first half of the last century, as well as modern family homes, hospital and military structures, memorials, and sculptures.

"The publication of the architectural manual coincides with the beginning of the year, when we commemorate the 770th anniversary of the first written mention of the city. It is a symbolic gift," stated Mayor Zbyněk Stejskal (ODS). The database, which is available in both Czech and English, contains 1800 historical and contemporary photographs, maps, project documentation, and plans. It could also serve as a resource in school teaching. "The database describes places and buildings that we pass by and may not even realize their history and value," the mayor said.

"During the preparation of the manual, we managed to uncover a number of interesting facts and information, particularly from the 1960s and 1970s, which is a period that has been little mapped in the case of Havlíčkův Brod," said one of the authors, Zuzana Trnková. This includes architect Lubomír Dryml, who significantly influenced the appearance of the city center, sculptor Karel Hyliš, and glassmaker and painter Jan Exnar.

Additionally, experts have identified another 60 objects for processing in the next phase of the project. The project is also expected to create thematic trails in the city.

The architectural manual cost 1.4 million crowns, with the city receiving a grant of 1.16 million crowns from the National Recovery Plan and the Ministry of Culture for its creation. Several institutions collaborated with art historians on it, including the district archive, regional library, and the Havlíčkův Brod Gallery and Museum of Vysočina. Students from the local secondary construction school also assisted, and materials were provided by residents, dozens of whom participated in the project.