The pavilion in Havlíčkovy sady will undergo renovation

Prague - The pavilion in Havlíčkovy sady in Prague 2 will undergo reconstruction. The city hall has now selected a company through a tender that will carry out repairs and demanding restoration work. The municipal district will pay approximately 45 million crowns for the work, said Jiří Paluska, deputy to the mayor, to journalists today.
    "We required strict references on the company's experience with restoring figurative wall paintings from the 19th century," stated Paluska. Ultimately, only the company Ingbau cz applied for the tender, which met the conditions and won the contract. According to Paluska, the construction is very complicated, especially the restoration work in the old part. "Classic masons won't be able to do much there," Paluska added.
    "Inside, there are paintings that need to be saved, but the wall they are on needs to be replaced," added Václav Vondrášek, deputy to the mayor. The wall is made of half-timbered masonry, and parts of the wooden beams are rotten.
    According to Paluska, new information about the original structure is still being incorporated. "We discovered that all the masonry a meter and higher above the ground is additional; originally it was glazed," he stated. The city hall did not anticipate this; they wanted to preserve the masonry. "Now it seems we will return to the original glazed state," Paluska added.
    According to him, the dominant old part should remain, where there used to be a bowling alley and shooting range. In the new part, a café or confectionery should be established.
    The repair of the pavilion will involve the magistrate and the state. They have allocated ten million crowns each for this purpose. The Ministry of Culture will contribute an additional 570,000 crowns for restoration work. The repairs are expected to be completed by the middle of next year.
    The city hall also holds a building permit for the reconstruction of the vineyard. Retaining walls and terraces that are collapsing will be repaired. The city hall should find the money in the budget for next year.
    The heavily visited park, which is a cultural landmark, was taken over by the Vinohrady city hall in 1999. It was in very neglected condition. The municipal district has so far managed to repair the Viniční gazebo, the brick wall, and the entrance gates. The restoration of the grotto is also being planned.