Barbora Smelter is being inherited by the new town hall, the unique monument could open in the summer
In September, the municipality organized an Open Door Day at the smelter, but the monument will have to wait at least a few more months for the first guests. At the construction site, the focus is now on the reconstruction of the interiors, and the surroundings of the building should soon be modified.
“I consider the rebirth of Barbora to be a success,” said longtime mayor Josef Hála (KSČM) at the end of his mandate. She was at the head of the Podbrda town for four electoral terms.
The imaginary heritage of the European format is thus taken over by the new leadership of Jinc. “Personally, I have to say that I really like the monument, I also like all the plans for its use. This is one of the things that the former management did very well. Moreover, it is a legacy of the past that is significant and worth continuing to enhance. However, we are only gradually getting to know the building. We are in contact with the designer, we participate in inspection days,” says the mayor of Jineck, Miroslava Tichá (for Nezávislé).
According to her, approval could be in April. “This is to be followed by the installation of individual exhibits. And there is a vision that the first workshop could be held there sometime in June. But it’s really necessary to add that it’s just an estimate,” says the mayor of Jincő, adding that the idea of using the Barbora complex for municipal community events is also ongoing.
From the violin to the furnace gully
After the interior modifications are completed, Barbora should literally be a showcase of the region. Exhibitions not only about Jince itself, but also about the Brdy Protected Landscape Area (PLA) will find a permanent place there.
“We want to bring local traditions and natural beauty closer to people. That is why we intend to set up a metallurgical exposition, which should be interactive. We will use animations for the visitors and show how the milers looked and how the iron was cast. We will also present our famous native, the violinist Josef Slavík. And also local nature, for example trilobites. The other ones are famous, they have a display case set aside for them in the National Museum in Prague,” said Josef Hála, now former mayor, about the future use of the smelter before this year’s facade repair.
Others are also considering the possibility of letting visitors look into the bowels of their own charcoal oven. They will reach the giant gullet by taking a staircase that will copy the route along which the metallurgists once walked.
The Norwegians and the governor’s office are helping
The municipality itself would not be able to pay for the costly reconstruction from its own funds. From the very beginning, the entire project is dependent on subsidies. The idea of restoring an extraordinary technical building, such as the governor’s office, even repeatedly. The engagement of Norwegian donors became a literal victory. 38.5 million crowns arrived from the so-called Norwegian funds.
In the neighborhood of the main building, they could build another, where there will be facilities in the form of toilets or storage. People viewed the construction of the new house at the end of the summer. Currently, the new management is interested in further possible assistance. “We are talking about a contribution, again with the Central Bohemian Region. We need landscaping, parking and the completion of facilities for visitors,” says Miroslava Tichá.
But the September open day was not a premiere for the public. The municipality decided to partially use the funding for emergency actions already during the repairs. A year ago, Barbora hosted a visitor from Norway during the Norwegian Christmas event.
For the year 2023, one of the concerts of the Antonín Dvořák Music Festival, a discussion about the iron-making tradition in the Central Brda region, or other musical performances, which are to be part of the Slavíkovy Jince event, are tentatively planned for the site of the smelter.
For a closer acquaintance with the monument, the website of the Jineck smelter will serve. Interested parties can find detailed information, including photo documentation, at www.hutbarbora.cz.