Přeštice has a modern boat house in the area on Úhlava for 10 million

Přeštice (Plzeň Region) - The seven-thousand-strong town of Přeštice has a new boathouse in the sports and recreational area on the Úhlava River near the center. It replaces a 73-year-old wooden structure that was rotten and destroyed by floods. The town invested over ten million Czech crowns into it. This is the second of three phases of the area’s renovation, where locals, mainly from apartment buildings, go to exercise and relax, said city councilor Vladimír Frouz to ČTK.
    "There is nowhere to skate in the winter, nowhere to swim in the summer, and there is no sports and recreational area for citizens. One third of the population, or 2500 to 3000 people live in apartment buildings, often without a balcony or garden," he stated. The significance of the location for leisure activities increased after a private ice stadium and a municipal swimming pool were not built in 2011 near the school. The investor Area Group was unable to finance the construction of the stadium long-term, initially from its own resources, and later, like the town of Přeštice, failed to obtain EU subsidies. The pool was to be connected to the infrastructure of the ice stadium, but the town could not afford it.
    The boathouse is a five-minute walk from the square, and, according to the secretary of TJ Přeštice, Karel Tušek, old canoeists go there, there is a children's section for young canoeists, a speed canoeing section, and weightlifters. The area served the public for many years as a place for water sports, summer swimming, and skating. In recent years, it has been neglected and underutilized.
    "The town is gradually reconstructing the entire KČT area so that citizens can spend quality leisure time in nature by the river," said Mayor Karel Naxera. The first phase was completed in November 2011. "It involved major renovations of the banks of the Úhlava River, including the construction of four staircases to the river, a pier, and a diving board, wooden bank cladding, and the removal of stumps, all for 1.8 million crowns," he stated. The third phase is planned for March 2016 for one million crowns, covering terrain modifications, fencing, a children's and sports corner, a wading pool, outdoor showers, and pathways. If we don't secure funding, the town will cover it, which the council has not yet approved, said Frouz.
    The wooden building had been there since 1946. During the war, it served as accommodation for a munitions factory in Holýšov within a labor and concentration camp. After the war, Holýšov sold the buildings, and the canoeists from Přeštice bought one. The building was not maintained, and no money was put into repairs. It rotted and would have fallen in the coming years, Frouz stated. In a flood zone, the town could only renovate the building, of which 59 meters remained.