Project

It was the year 2014, 10 years passed from one of the most spectacular discoveries of the past century in Prague. There was much more to be discovered concerning the Rotunda but could not be for the lack of financial resources, the archeological research and the building reconstruction could not be finished at that moment. The situation changed with the new opportunity in the EEA Grants from Iceland, Lichtenstein, and Norway competition. The newly appointed Vice-Dean for Public Relations Dr. Martin Vlach became the leader of a team called “Preservation Project for St. Wenceslas Rotunda at Lesser Town Square” that had to wait for almost a year to hear the final decision. 209 project proposals in total entered the competition out of which only 26 were successful. Among them was the Preservation Project for Rotunda. The project symbolically started on the New Year’s Day 2015.

The sum of almost 10 million CZK was by 80% supplied by the EEA Grants. The remaining 20% were committed to be provided by the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University which of course brought a high risk. In the course of the Project’s implementation, an online application for donations called “Our Rotunda” was launched and, with the help of various media, it eventually attracted over 800 donors. The full sum was collected approximately 6 months before the end of the project.

At the end of June 2016 after almost 18 months the archeologists completed their research and the reconstruction was finished so that the area of the Rotunda could be finally issued the completion certificate. But the work on the Project was not finished yet. During the summer holiday the holographic projection was installed, the information panels were designed, a computer with an interactive presentation was installed, and glass cases with the findings were made. There was also a virtual 3D tour prepared (accessible on www.rotunda.pano3d.cz).

Three month after the work completion on September 28, 2016, the Czech Statehood Day, the Rotunda was reopened after almost 400 years. It lived to see the miracle behind which lay the work of hundreds of people to whom our immense thanks are due. The Ministry of Finance of the Czech Republic and the representatives of the Kingdom of Norway evaluated this project as one of the most successful and most interesting projects within the whole programme period (2009 – 2014) of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants. That was one of the reasons why the final conference of the Ministry of Finance CR about the grants implementation took place in the refectory of the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University at the Lesser Town on 4th October 2016. The Faculty also provided the guests of the conference with commented tours of the newly reconstructed interiors of the Rotunda. The formal conference on the occasion of the Rotunda reopening with media, university representatives and the ambassadress of the Kingdom of Norway Siri Ellen Sletner being present took place on 12th October 2016.

Interesting facts about the Rotunda

• Preservation Project for St. Wenceslas Rotunda was ranked as one of the most successful and most interesting projects within the whole programme period (2009 – 2014) of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Norway Grants.
• The full sum of the preservation and reconstruction rose up to 10 million CZK out of which 2 million CZK were covered by the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University. The Faculty collected the money from 800 donors.
• The restorers spent nearly 6 000 hours preserving the Rotunda.
• The archeologists took up almost 14 000 pottery fragments, 18 000 animal bones fragments, 713 pieces of slag (23.8kgs), and 210 artifacts form animal bones.
• The team realised 20 selection procedures and paid off almost 100 invoices.

Project team

RNDr. Martin Vlach, Ph.D. – vedoucí projektového týmu (MFF UK)
PhDr. Jarmila Čiháková – hlavní archeoložka (NPÚ)
ak. mal. Tomáš Rafl – hlavní restaurátor (Gema Art Group a.s.)
Jan Vrána – hlavní architekt (OSVČ)
Ing. Radek Budka – hlavní projektant (OSVČ)
Bc. et Mgr. Ilona Šimánková – asistentka vedoucího projektu (GVP, MFF UK)
RNDr. Karolina Houžvičková Šolcová – manažerka publicity (MFF UK)
Ing. Jana Feřtková, Ing. Ivana Klepaczová – administrátorky (Fund Consulting)
Táňa Nováčková – finanční manažerka projektu (MFF UK)
Mgr. Galina Kiryushina – překlady (FF UK)
Ing. Lenka Šlitrová a Mgr. Iva Hladíková – projektové manažerky (MF ČR)
Martin Müller – geodet, asistent archeologického průzkumu (NPU)
Ing. Zdeněk Hošna – stavební dozor a koordinátor BOZP (OSVČ)
Mgr. Michal Trkal – projektový právník (AMKT)
Břetislav Horák, Roman Meďas– vizualizace a počítačové animace (Studio Horák)
Luboš Hrabák – tvůrce dokumentárního filmu (OSVČ)
Ing. Jiří Kadeřábek – interaktivní prezentace (Agionet s.r.o.)
Mgr. Luboš Veverka – mediální výstupy pro širokou veřejnost (MFF UK)
ak. soch. Petra Šťastná – výroba dlaždic (OSVČ)
Mgr. Radomír Šofr – propagační video portálu nase-rotunda.cz (ČT)
Ing. Monika Šmídová – dárcovská aplikace nase-rotunda.cz (Profion s.r.o.)
Jan Sládek – web nase-rotunda.cz (manGoweb s.r.o.)
Bc. Dana Drahná - administrace dárcovské aplikace (MFF UK) Play a game