The baroque monument Löwit’s Mill has found a new use
Löwit’s mill, formerly known as the Great Mill, can be found in the Libeň Castle. Councilors of Prague 8 approved a new use for this cultural monument. Until last summer, the association Probouzíme organized a cultural program and other events here. Now the program and the overall concept is to be started by a completely different association called Velký mlýn, which plans to start the project Zastavní ve Mlýn here. Both the city library and Czech Radio will collaborate on it.
“It is very good that there is a plan sponsored by public institutions such as the city library. I believe that next year we will see a worthy cultural place in a nice environment Thomayer sets that will find their fans. The patronage of these institutions was a sufficient guarantee for me to go ahead with them,” said Mayor Ondřej Gros (ODS).
No tender process
The way in which the new operator was chosen, i.e. without a selection process, is criticized by a part of the opposition. “It’s a shame that the entire process of selecting a new tenant is so opaque. I find it strange that the traditional interested parties were not approached, who have been repairing Löwit’s mill for a long time and organize events here. I find it unfair to them. In addition, it is not at all clear how much money the Prague 8 district will get from the rent,” adds Michal Novák, chairman of the pirate representative club.
The absence of a tender process surprised even the original operator. “It is true that we were not only surprised that the Municipal Council of Prague 8 entrusts the operation of this place for three years to the association Velký Mlýn, which was created only one day before the publication of the plan. The mistrust and conjectures of the Prague 8 leadership and the reluctance to provide any information with the citizens and representatives who asked them about this cooperation,” said the association Probouzíme on Facebook.
“The declared intention of using the mill is sympathetic, based on our experience there is also a lot of potential. In the last three years, we cleaned, cleaned, modified and “inhabited” the premises of the mill, so we know that creating a quality background for a cafe or library will require considerable investment,” they add.
Library, gallery and cafe
According to the vice-chairman of the Velký mlýn association, Pavel Kocourek, the building should mainly house a branch of the city library, which occupies the main hall. “We would like to set up exhibition spaces in the upper part of the mill, and the lower part could then be used for live culture, i.e. concerts and other similar activities,” he said. The rear part of the building will then be transformed into a café, which would be loosely connected to the library premises. Löwit’s mill should gradually open to the public during this year.
Löwit’s mill finds a new use
Author: City Council Prague 8