The works on the castle means a better suited and safer environment for the Apprentice Training Centre and Practical School, which is the primary user of the castle. The school offers education in a number of practical subjects for pupils with behavioural and learning difficulties, in many cases children who have dropped out of other schools.
The grant covers renovation and reinforcement works on the 3 stone bridges that are the main entrance ways to the castle, as well as the roof of the main castle building itself and of operational buildings on the site. The bridges, which have figured on the public Czech list of the most endangered immovable monuments in the country, were in particularly bad shape from the daily tear and wear, making large-scale restoration necessary.
The baroque castle dates back to the late 16th century, and has since then undergone a series of redevelopments, a process that continues to the present. The castle, rebuilt from its original form into a spectacular baroque construction in 1676, has for a long time been in dire need of renovation.
Pupils at the school get unique training through participating in the restoration work - much of the previous work on the castle has been carried through using solely the school`s own resources. Despite this, some of the restoration work needed on the castle is beyond the capability of the school itself, making the support from the EEA Grants all the more welcome.
In addition to providing the school with better facilities, the completed project will also see the castle opened up to the public, something which is currently only possible with a prior agreement.