In Rokycany, a half-billion reconstruction of the Sokolovna into a cultural center has begun

Rokycany - The official groundbreaking ceremony today marked the beginning of the reconstruction and extension of the Sokol Hall in Rokycany into a cultural, community, and social center. The project, with a budget of 586 million crowns, is the largest investment in the fourteen-thousand-strong town of Rokycany to date. In two years, the city will receive a restored Sokol Hall with a large hall; the adjoining new extension will include another smaller hall, a dance studio, and facilities. A publicly accessible small square will also be created, which will serve for outdoor cultural events and provide barrier-free access to both halls, said Mayor Tomáš Rada (Rokycany Patriots) to ČTK today.

The third largest city in the Plzeň Region has long lacked quality space for hosting cultural events, graduation parties, balls, or city celebrations. The Sokol Hall, built in 1905 and later supplemented by the addition of a small gymnasium and a large-capacity restaurant, has been closed for a long time due to its poor technical condition. "The Sokol Hall was closed due to structural issues. It has been nearly ten years, and for ten years, culture in Rokycany has not had a space where it could function fully," noted the mayor.

The reconstruction will preserve the original Sokol Hall building, which has a capacity for 400 people. The building will receive a new roof structure and roof, undergo interior repairs, and acquire new water, gas, heating, electricity, and sewage systems. The construction company has already begun to gradually demolish both later extensions. Demolition will last for three months. In their place, a rectangular extension made of steel and glass with a hall for one hundred people, a dance studio, and spaces for refreshments and catering will be built. Below it, an underground parking lot will be created.

The majority of the reconstruction will be financed by Rokycany. "We will fully cover the construction from our own resources, but we have also received a grant of 70 million crowns," said Rada. Rokycany has been preparing for the revitalization of the Sokol Hall for several years and announced an architectural competition. "Rokycany needs modern architecture. I think we are quite conservative here in terms of our approach to architecture. It has modern elements, but it respects the genius loci of the old Sokol Hall," added the mayor about the new extension.