Plzeň is processing a plan for the development of cultural infrastructure

Plzeň - The Plzeň City Hall has started to develop an integrated cultural development plan due to its candidacy for the prestigious title of European Capital of Culture in 2015. The title is awarded each year to two selected cities from EU member states; in 2015, besides the Czech city, there will also be a representative from Belgium. This is the second similar integrated plan in the city. Its aim is to increase the attractiveness of Plzeň for both residents and visitors. Among other things, it addresses how to umbrella new investment projects related to the candidacy for European cultural city and how to obtain support from EU sources for them, said Zuzana Smotlachová, project manager of the European project coordination unit of the city hall today.
    The city expects that if it manages to realize its plans, it could become one of the most sought-after destinations and a significant center of cultural and social life in the country after Prague. Therefore, the most important point of the plan primarily concerns investments in the infrastructure of the most significant cultural institutions.
    "In many cases, they are located in spaces that have surpassed their lifetime - for example, the building of the Chamber Theatre, the city library. Plzeň does not have a museum of fine arts, and there is a lack of a center for young, independent, and alternative art that would also serve as an open space for various civic associations," Smotlachová listed. For instance, the construction of a new theater building for 300 million crowns instead of the current inadequate facility for the chamber theater has already been approved by the representatives.
    In addition to large investment projects, the plan also includes the addition of smaller cultural and leisure facilities and the establishment of sports-recreational trails for pedestrians, cyclists, and rollerbladers. "In prominent locations, there should be supplementary attractions for sports and other leisure activities - resting areas, picnic points, fit trails, artworks, and similar," added Smotlachová.
    People who want to change the current face of Plzeň's cultural infrastructure can also get involved in creating the integrated development plan. Suggestions can be sent until May 14 to the email address: Smotachova@plzen.eu.