Pardubice completed the repairs on the historic town hall

Pardubice - The city of Pardubice today ceremonially opened the reconstructed historical town hall from the late 19th century. The repairs lasted a year and a half and cost 119 million crowns. The political representation moved into the building last in September, while officials returned to their offices in the summer.

"The town hall was, in a way, an embarrassment. Some ceiling beams required immediate reconstruction. The most challenging part was convincing the political self-governance and finding the courage to undertake such a financially demanding repair," said the secretary of the magistrate, Michal Zitko.

Repairs began last January. The ceiling structures were damaged by wood-eating fungi. The damage was greater than expected. The construction company replaced beams, repaired electrical installations, windows, heating, and plumbing. The estimated costs of 60 million crowns eventually doubled.

"The condition of the wooden supporting structures was catastrophic; it surprised me. There were several key changes during construction, as the heritage preservationists wanted to expand the protection of the paintings, which increased the cost of the work. Other issues were gradually revealed. However, I am glad that the councilors supported the general repair; the town hall is beautiful again," said the mayor, Martin Charvát (ANO).

The damage caused by wood-eating pests was impossible to predict in advance; the workers discovered the condition of the beams only after uncovering the floors. About 60 percent had to be replaced, said the site manager, Martin Dvořák.

"I thought to myself, we can't manage this in time, but we finished everything on schedule. The heritage preservationists wanted to preserve as many elements as possible, but it wasn't always feasible; the tiles were cracked, and some doors were warped. In some cases, there are replicas, but a layperson wouldn't notice," said Dvořák.

Architect Ondřej Teplý designed the interiors of the offices, considering the period when the town hall was built. For example, the cables required for computers and other technologies were hidden as much as possible. "We had the advantage that nothing could go wrong compared to the original state. We wanted to recreate the atmosphere of the late 19th century and create representative spaces," said the architect.

The Pardubice town hall, in the Neo-Renaissance style, is a cultural monument dating from 1894. It stands in the middle of the northern side of the square on the site of the original town hall from 1759 and two other baroque houses. The building was designed by Jan Vejrych. The facade is decorated with sgraffito, and in the second floor are allegorical figures of Disinterestedness, Directness, Honesty, and Concord by Karel Klusáček. Above the windows of the first floor are eight medallions of prominent Czech monarchs. A statue of Vojtěch of Pernštejn stands on the gable of the building.

"Part of the building is still under scaffolding; repairs of the decorative elements of the roof, especially the cornices, are ongoing. The work, valued at 6.5 million crowns, will be completed during the autumn," said Iveta Koubková from the magistrate's press department.