Plzeň will start renovating part of the Peklo cultural house with a hall next year

Plzeň - Plzeň wants to start repairs next year on part of the historically protected cultural house Peklo, which includes a large hall and staircase hall. It has a budget of half a billion crowns for this purpose. Next week, a professional committee will also evaluate proposals received in the architectural competition for the restoration and reconstruction of another, central part of the complex. Costs are also expected to be around half a billion crowns there, said the councilor for culture Eliška Bartáková (ANO) to ČTK.

According to her, the execution documentation for the restoration of the western part of Peklo with the hall is already being prepared. Next year, after other necessary administrative steps, the city could announce a tender for builders. Bartáková hopes that the reconstruction could start in the second half of next year. It should last about two years. It is possible that the final cost could still increase, she admitted.

The complex of the workers' house Peklo consists of three connected buildings - the neo-Renaissance western part with a hall for more than 700 people from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, a younger functionalist connector from the 1930s, and on the eastern side, the so-called Fischer villa from 1886. The city's plans concern the western and central parts. When Plzeň began a partial reconstruction seven years ago, allocating 20 million crowns at the time, massive infestations of ceilings and roofs by wood-decaying fungi were discovered. Due to the emergency state, Peklo has been closed since then. Only the central part, the Patton Museum, is operational.

Peklo is one of the most significant cultural objects in Plzeň, particularly valuable for its large hall with good acoustics. Plzeň lacks a quality large concert hall. The current city leadership considers the preservation of the building one of its priorities. After the repairs are completed, Peklo will be utilized by the Plzeň Philharmonic, which will receive a concert hall, rehearsal rooms, changing rooms, spaces for instruments, and other facilities. In addition, the entire renovated complex will also serve for hosting balls, concerts, dance courses, and other events.

At the same time, the city announced an architectural competition in March for the completion of the central part and modification of the surrounding area. "Next week, the committee will evaluate the submitted offers. The results will be published once they are approved by the council," said technical deputy Pavel Bosák (Pirates). Based on the winning proposal, the city will announce a competition for a study and related execution documentation. Bosák expects that the repair will continue after the completion of the western part. In the central building, the city wants another smaller concert hall, facilities for visitors, and a restaurant.