Some parts of the Olomouc town hall will be repaired by craftsmen in front of the public

Olomouc - In the square, craftsmen will repair parts of the historic town hall building in front of passersby, which is set for the final phase of an expensive reconstruction this year. Part of the town hall has already been enclosed with a fence, and thanks to favorable weather, workers will be able to start repairing the facade as well as the stone, plumbing, carpentry, and blacksmithing elements. The main town hall tower will also be reconstructed.

"We agreed that special plumbing and carpentry modifications to the tower structure will take place right before the eyes of passersby in the Upper Square. When a smaller tower was reconstructed in the same manner a year ago, it generated great public interest,” said Mayor Mirek Žbánek (ANO).

The tip of the town hall tower has been temporarily stored in one of the depots since last year, from where it will soon be transported to the Upper Square. The remaining part of the tower will be lowered to the pavement using a crane, and craftsmen will get to work.

"We are also trying to ensure the possibility of continuous broadcasting of the construction work using online web cameras. We would like to place a large screen with an astronomical clock in front of the information center because the view of this part of the town hall will be obstructed due to the fence and scaffolding," noted the mayor's deputy Martin Major (ODS).

The larger part of the reconstruction will be completed this year, with repairs on the two shorter sides of the town hall continuing in the first half of next year. The construction site will be secured with fencing, which will allow access to the town hall, the arcade, and the information center, as well as to the restaurant and the Caesar gallery. "Access for weddings and for citizens to the town hall will also be ensured. The city officials have discussed coordinated procedures with the contractor for organizing large social and cultural events in the Upper Square," said town hall spokesman Michal Folta.

The gradual repair of the town hall in the historical center of Olomouc began at the beginning of 2017. The roof was reconstructed first for approximately 30 million crowns, as it was already in a critical state. Then, the information center and the entrance to the town hall building followed. The final stage of the reconstruction includes the facade and the town hall tower, which will cost 57 million crowns.

Historians consider the Olomouc town hall to be the second most significant in the Czech lands, right after the Prague Old Town Hall. Its cornerstone was laid in the Upper Square as early as 1378. At that time, the city had judicial authority, and the town hall served as a prison, torture chamber, armory, and also remained a marketplace.

The interior modifications of the town hall building are attributed to the then head of the city building office, Max Kresse, while the exterior modifications were done by Viennese architect Georg Berger. The facade was complemented with neo-Gothic details, and a new mural decoration depicting scenes from the history of Olomouc was created. The dominant feature of the town hall is the tower, which is 75 meters high. The town hall building also houses an astronomical clock.