Plzeňský kraj will build an environmental education center in Horažďovice

Horažďovice (Klatovsko) - The Czech-German Center for Environmental Education will be established by the Plzeň Region in the former mill in Horažďovice by spring 2013. It will be intended for secondary and primary schools, civic and interest associations from the region and from Bavarian Upper Palatinate. The investment of 40 million crowns will be supported by the cross-border program Objective 3, said Ivo Grüner (ČSSD), a deputy governor, to ČTK. According to him, this residential center for ecological education will be the first of its kind in the Czech Republic.
    "The EU has approved a grant of 1.3 million euros (approximately 33 million crowns). We will start looking for a construction contractor immediately through an electronic auction to ensure that the competition is completely transparent and as many candidates as possible can participate. By mid-year, the contractor should be known. We expect to start around September and definitely want to have it completed by spring 2013," added Grüner.
    The capacity will be 40 to 45 children, including accommodation and a dining room. Half of the activities must be Czech and the other half German. "It doesn't have to be just for schools, but also for various interest associations and civic initiatives so that we can utilize it properly," stated the deputy governor. Education in ecology and natural sciences in the field is not yet available in the region.
    In the area and building, which historical sources mention as far back as 1370, and where even gold-bearing ore was milled, young people will learn about the gold-bearing Otava River that flows through the area. They will discover what animals lived there in the past and currently inhabit the area, learn about using energy from alternative sources such as heat pumps, photovoltaic cells, and a small hydroelectric power plant that existed in the building as early as the 19th century. Children and students will also gain awareness of waste management and its utilization. The center will also demonstrate gold panning and freshwater pearl mussels, which were described in the Otava River as far back as the 16th century.
    The property is on an attractive site on a peninsula by the river. The historic building in a state of emergency, which is not protected as a monument, was purchased four years ago for 2.5 million crowns by the previous leadership of the Plzeň Region for the Klatovy/Klenová Regional Gallery. The ČSSD criticized the purchase upon taking office and refused to place artworks in the house located in a flood zone.
    Originally, the municipal mill, which also served for grinding limestone, was slated for demolition in the mid-20th century. In the end, it was purchased by a private individual for a guesthouse, and repairs were made there at the end of the last century. After abandoning this intention, the properties were sold to the regional gallery.