Cultural Centre Repre

In the post-war years, over 80 municipalities in the north of Bohemia were abandoned due to the area being taken over by brown coal mining. New mining towns were constructed in place of the municipalities, to house workers in proximity to the mining sites. The town of Most is a fundamental example of this mining take-over of the land. Following the spread of communist propaganda, the existing town of Most was demolished between 1965 and 1987 to path access to the ground’s riches. Monuments from Most were reclaimed and relocated to the new town of Most. The previous location of the town that was demolished is referred to as the ‘Old Most’.

‘Repre’ was the name of the Cultural Centre in ‘Old Most’. The majority of the original buildings of ‘Old Most’ fell victim to the brown coal mining industry including ‘Repre’. A new House of Culture of Miners and Power Engineers was build for workers in the new town of Most as compensation. A later, the cultural house was regained the name ‘Repre’ to honour its heritage.

The four-storey reinforced concrete structure is raised on piles and surrounded by water on three sides. The basement is comprised of operating kitchens, warehouses, technical facilities, a recording centre of music, a club and a wine bar. The ground floor had a spacious entrance hall, dressing rooms, a small buffet, cash desk, a restaurant that sat 112 people, three lounges and two small flats for the operating staff. On the first floor, there was a cinema for 400 spectators, a clubhouse, a day and night café, a bar and executive offices. The second floor was occupied by a large multipurpose social hall, kitchen equipment for the staff, 3 small theatres with dressing rooms, clubs, studios and offices. The third floor was where the planetarium was located.

The Planetarium room is a special part of a cultural house. It was accessible through a separate entrance from the second floor, via a stairway with 104 steps. The room consists of a steel ball, which is supported by a reinforced concrete annular die. The diameter of the dome is 10 meters and has a capacity to hold 41 people. Inside, there is a projector of the world-famous Carl Zeiss Jena brand. The planetarium underwent a costly reconstruction in 2007, which was followed by the renovation of its equipment.

The building’s current condition is very poor. Both professionals and the general public recognise the value of the Centre of Repre, its reconstruction has been a topic of discussion for years. The citizens have repeatedly called for architectural competitions to be held. Several concepts for the centre’s renovation have been put forward, but none were successful. In the meantime, the condition of the complex is deteriorating.

TEXT BY BARBORA SLAVÍČKOVÁ