The construction of the library in Turnov will finish at the beginning of February, the city will open it in September

Turnov - The construction of a four-story library in Turnov, costing more than 115.4 million crowns, is approximately two months behind schedule and will conclude at the beginning of February next year. Interior furnishings will take another six months. The mayor of the city, Tomáš Hocke (Independent Bloc), expects that the new library will open on September 1st next year.

The construction of the library is one of the largest investment projects in the modern history of the fifteen-thousand-strong town in the Czech Paradise, with the city hall securing an EU grant of 68 million crowns for it. Work began in April of last year and was originally scheduled to be completed at the beginning of December this year. The new completion date is February 5, 2026, with necessary adjustments around the building still to be finished. "There was a bit of a problem with the outdoor repairs, with the sidewalks, which were drawn in the project but somehow were missing from the bill of quantities, as it has now been found out," the mayor told ČTK.

There were several complications with the construction. The originally contracted amount of 111.3 million crowns has increased by more than four million, which is nearly four percent.

The Antonín Marek Municipal Library in Turnov is one of the oldest in the country, celebrating its 205th anniversary this year. The relocation from Jeronýmova Street has been discussed in the city for years. The current building does not meet capacity needs, lacking better hygiene and visitor facilities, a social hall, and is not accessible. The new building for the library is now being constructed a few hundred meters closer to the center, on Skálova Street between the summer cinema and the Na Sboře house.

The central space of the library is to be an analogy to a rocky gorge, where visitors should discover views and fractures typical of the natural environment of a rock city. The roof will offer a view of the town from a staircase shaded by a shallow-rooted pine tree, as is often the case at the top of a rocky mass. The library will also be distinctive for having a projection screen for the summer cinema on its facade.