In the renovation and construction of cultural buildings, we want to continue, stated Klempíř

Prague - In addition to the reconstruction of the New Stage of the National Theatre (ND), the government is preparing new storage facilities for the National Gallery, completing the construction of the Janáček Cultural Centre in Brno, restoring the Prague Invalidovna, and building the Vltava Philharmonic. Culture Minister Oto Klempíř (for the Motorists) said this to journalists during the commencement of the reconstruction of the New Stage ND in Prague today.

"We are preparing a lot, we need to plan it so that the investments 'slide smoothly'. It is challenging, but we do not want to stop renewing and building cultural venues. It is not because we want to forcefully prove that we are not stingy on culture. It is the infrastructure of the spirit," Klempíř stated. This year, according to the budget, the Ministry of Culture has 17.6 billion crowns for expenditures, which is approximately a billion less than the proposal from the last government from last September.

The coalition government of Andrej Babiš (ANO) promised support for the restoration of monuments or the construction of new cultural facilities in its program statement. Besides the promise to complete the repairs of the New Stage, it announced support for the construction of the Jinonice storage facility of the National Gallery, the construction of the Vltava Philharmonic, which the capital city wants to finance from various sources, or the reconstruction of the Invalidovna, which is the largest planned investment of the National Heritage Institute. Like the National Gallery, it is a contributory organization of the Ministry of Culture.

According to previous information, the Ministry of Culture will contribute 600 million crowns for the financing of the construction of the Janáček Cultural Centre, which will provide a background for the Brno Philharmonic after completion, with 332 million from Brno Communications and 100 million from the South Moravian Region. The rest of the total cost of 2.3 billion crowns excluding VAT will be covered by Brno from its budget.

Students of artistic fields and representatives of culture recently protested against the cuts affecting various areas of the Ministry of Culture's budget, including live culture. They were criticized by the Association of Symphony Orchestras and Choirs of the Czech Republic, the Association of Music Festivals, the Association of Professional Theatres, and the Association of Independent Theatres. Klempíř responded at the time by stating that all ministries must save.

According to him, the Minister of Culture has a personal relationship with the New Stage. "When I came to Prague in 1982, crowds of people were coming to see what that man (architect) Karel Prager was building. Many people were outraged by what was being created as 'television'. They claimed it did not fit here, but among us were a few people who looked forward to a place that somewhat resembled sci-fi," Klempíř recalled. "My relationship with this stage was crowned by the fact that we did a big live broadcast here during COVID, the organization of which was somewhat punk, but the energy of the performing people from the Sklep Theatre to pop musicians was so immense that for a moment we thought we would defeat COVID ourselves," he added.

Today, ND handed over the New Stage and operating building B as a construction site to a consortium of companies led by Metrostav DIZ for general reconstruction. The work, costing 1.8 billion crowns, will last for two years.

"The reconstruction of the New Stage is not just an investment in the building but primarily in the future of Czech culture. The National Theatre must, alongside its traditional role, create space for new forms of theatre, contemporary art, and artistic excellence. The New Stage is to be a place where new projects are created, and where Czech culture naturally meets the world," Klempíř added.