Olomouc completed the first part of the renovation of the mausoleum of Yugoslav soldiers

Olomouc - Workers have completed the first part of the long-planned reconstruction of the dilapidated mausoleum of Yugoslav soldiers in Bezručovy sady, close to the historic center of Olomouc. The first phase of the repair cost 5.3 million crowns, said Deputy Mayor Filip Žáček (ČSSD) today. The city is already preparing another two phases of the reconstruction, which are expected to cost a total of about 11 million crowns.

"In the first phase, the walls of the terraces, staircases were repaired, metal grilles were restored, and the masonry was stabilized," said Žáček. He noted that part of the costs for the first phase of the repair was covered by the city's budget, and part was financed by a grant from the Ministry of Defense.

In the second phase, the city plans to reconstruct both the interior and exterior of the chapel. The third phase includes the reconstruction of the crypt with racks for coffins and the restoration of coffins containing the remains of soldiers. "According to the budget, the costs for the second phase are estimated at 5.2 million crowns and for the third phase at 5.4 million crowns," said Žáček. The town hall will again try to obtain subsidies.

The remains of fallen South Slavic soldiers will be exhumed at the end of the mausoleum's reconstruction by experts from a certified company, who will document and restore them in detail. After the repair of the crypt is completed, the remains will be respectfully reinterred in their original place.

"After the completion of all phases of the reconstruction, the mausoleum will serve cultural and social purposes. Memorial events, accompanying events for the Flora Olomouc exhibitions, guided tours, as well as concerts, exhibitions, and other events that are commensurate with the significance of this cultural monument can be held here," said Deputy Mayor Ladislav Šnevajs (KDU-ČSL).

The dilapidated mausoleum houses the remains of nearly 1200 South Slavic soldiers who fell on the territory of Moravia and Silesia during World War I. The town hall was able to begin the repair of the neglected monument last year thanks to two years of court proceedings with the successor states of former Yugoslavia, which resulted in the city becoming its owner. The original owner of the mausoleum, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, formally ceased to exist in April 1945. The reconstruction of the mausoleum is estimated to cost 18 million crowns.

The mausoleum of Yugoslav soldiers is a building in the style of monumental neoclassicism from 1926, designed by architect Hubert Aust. It was built at the expense of the Czechoslovak-South Slavic League for the burial of the remains of 1188 Yugoslav soldiers who died in military hospitals in Olomouc during World War I. Later, remains of soldiers from other parts of the country were also brought to the mausoleum. Since 1958, the mausoleum has been recorded as a cultural monument. Its current state has been affected in the past by vandals and natural forces.