Thanks to the European Capital of Culture title, Košice will have the first Kunsthalle in Slovakia

Whilst in other parts of Slovakia, a multi-functional cultural centre is still a dream, it is becoming a reality in Košice. Thanks to aid from the European Commission and the European  Capital of Culture project, we are today starting an investment in the value of almost €7.5 million, which will transform a fading architectural jewel in the city centre, the old indoor pool, into a modern centre of arts and culture. The OHL ŽS company, which was successful in the public procurement process, shall start reconstruction works at the beginning of next week at the latest.

The old indoor pool is considered to be one of the most architecturally valuable buildings in Košice, built between the 1950s and 1960s. It was built from 1957 – 1960 and was functional until the end of the 1970s when the Mlynský Náhon (part of the river) was diverted, causing a depression in underground water and resulting in subsequent static defects in the building. After discovering these static defects, the building ceased to operate and only its exterior part is still functioning. The object itself is not used due to its poor technical condition.

“This building is one of the symbols of old Košice – its architecture is unique, it has an excellent position in the city and centre and, at the same time, it’s surrounded by the greenery of the City Park. After many years of dilapidation, today we are handing over the building to the construction company and we are starting a new and completely different era in its existence. It will be still be connected to its famous past by its unique architecture and will be connected to the future by its modern method of use,” Richard Raši praised the project.

In the past, the greatest damage to the construction was sustained by the single storey West and East wings. After evaluating the condition, it was decided to demolish the damaged wings and build new. It will be necessary to isolate the basement masonry from soil humidity, replace all openings and roof constructions and floors, to install new distribution networks and apply new plaster.  The replacement windows will respect the shape and placement of the originals.

The tender was won by OHL ŽS, a. s., one of the largest construction companies in the Czech Republic and employing 1,590 people at the end of 2011. The company focuses upon comprehensive implementation of various building works, modernisation, reconstruction and maintenance depending upon the needs and requirements of the customer, in the following specialisations: transport, railway, road and motorway construction, water management and ecological construction, civil engineering and power engineering construction, surface construction and underground engineering. The most significant implemented constructions include modernisation of railway corridors and reconstruction of railway stations, construction of the university campus in Brno and new objects for the Mining University – Ostrava Technical University. In the Slovak Republic in the past, the company participated in the modernisation of the railway for a travelling speed of 160km/hr from Bratislava to Nové Mesto nad Váhom and also in the modernisation of the railway track between Žilina and Krásna nad Kysucou as leading member of the Association or a member of the Association.

Ing. Dušan Chovanec, PhD., Executive Director of OHL ŽS for the territory of Slovakia and Hungary: “Our company will commence implementation of the reconstruction of the Kunsthalle in the coming days. We have enough mechanisms at our disposal to finish the reconstruction by the end of 2012. We are glad that OHL ŽS was given the chance to participate in the project which is so important for Košice.”

The Kunsthalle project – reconstruction of the old indoor pool – will resolve the issue of creating a modern cultural and exhibition area. In terms of focus, the project is mainly designed for international exhibitions of visual arts, artistic objects and new media. Keeping the water element shall create a unique space in the Kunsthalle. It will greatly support the creation and presentation of new, original forms of art since there is no other similar option for their presentation anywhere else in Košice or in Slovakia. The project also includes creating a background for catering during organised events. The old indoor pool building is designed as the only Kunsthalle operation – a multi-functional cultural centre with several areas which can be (operationally) divided:

• The ground floor: Small cultural hall, cloakroom for visitors, changing room for performers, lower entrance, facilities for employees, sanitary facilities, facilities for technical equipment.
• The 1^st floor: Main cultural area, two secondary cultural areas, entrance hall – entrance gallery, walkways, sanitary facilities, technical equipment.
• The 2^nd floor: Main cultural area – balconies, cultural areas, external terraces, sanitary facilities, technical equipment.
• The 3^rd floor: technical background.

“Our plan is that the Kunsthalle in Košice will be a modern, multi-functional area which will not only serve for the presentation of art, but also for sound and light installations or new media. Most of all, it will allow us to bring international artists to East of the country and therefore allow the current Slovak scene to compete with the foreign art scene,” said Zuzana Pacáková, Project Manager for Visual Arts at Košice 2013 n. o.  She clarified that kunsthalle around the world represent large, multi-functional exhibition areas designed for contemporary art. It also allows, for example, implementation of large projects of a site specific art nature. Unlike a museum, it does not have its own collections, but always offers new, original exhibitions.

When creating a functional Kunsthalle unit, the main focus was given to year round use of the space, maximum use of existing resources and achieving European standard in all related services. The daily capacity of the complex is 500 visitors in winter and 1,000 visitors in summer.