Sýpka v Hradci unikla demolici, její majitel chystá přestavbu The granary in Hradec has escaped demolition; its owner is planning a renovation.

Hradec Králové – From the historic grain silo in Hradec Králové, a commercial, office, and cultural center could emerge in about ten to fifteen years. The entrepreneur Jakub Matoušek, who bought the building three years ago and saved it from potential demolition, is preparing the conversion of the silo for new uses. "We currently have a project study. The first step will be the repair of the roof, which has deteriorated significantly over the past year," Matoušek told ČTK. Today, he organized an open house for the public in the silo.

"The building dates back to 1903 and has its character. It is one of the last industrial buildings made of facing brick in Hradec Králové. It fascinated our family so much that we decided to take it on as a life project and try to do something with it so that it can survive for another century," Matoušek said. The building is located near the bus and train station and is passed by everyone arriving in Hradec Králové from Jičín, Náchod, and Trutnov.

Matoušek plans for shops to be located on the ground floor of the five-story building. Higher floors will contain office and conference spaces, and the top floor will be designated for a cultural center. There is also a plan for a rooftop observation deck overlooking the city. The use of basement spaces is also being considered. The building has about 3,500 square meters of floor area.

The reconstruction of the building, which currently has no windows and is empty inside without storage technologies, will be gradual, according to Matoušek. "We are not setting any deadlines. We will proceed as our resources and finances allow," he said. He currently does not count on utilizing subsidies. After the roof repair, windows, elevators, stairs, and floors should follow. Matoušek estimates the total costs of the reconstruction in the tens of millions of crowns. The building is not protected as a monument.

The silo was constructed by the Agricultural Warehouse Cooperative in Hradec Králové and Nechanice according to architect Josef Novotný. It originally emerged as a four-story building with a wooden annex. It burned down in 1917. It then underwent extensive reconstruction, during which the silo received a reinforced concrete annex and an additional floor. Thanks to the reinforced concrete annex embedded in the brick outer shell, the structure is exceptionally statically stable.

Grain was stored in the silo until the 1990s. The then-owner, the company Cerea, considered building a shopping center there, but that did not materialize. The later owner, the company Empla, contemplated demolishing the building.