The military museum in Josefov is ending after 20 years. Freedom Fighters Union did not pay for energy

The founder of the museum, Miroslav Frost, does not know where to store the collections. Moreover, he doesn’t even have the physical strength to move the displays himself.

“I’m old now. I am 79 years old, post heart attack and in a wheelchair. When I needed to go to the museum, my wife had to ask the city police to take me up to the first floor and then take me down again,” Frost told Novinka, adding that there is an elevator in the building, but it is there. out of order.

He founded the museum in the early 1990s, but it moved several times over the years, and since 2004, when the city became its founder, it has been based in the current building.

About ten years ago, the Union of Freedom Fighters, with president Jaroslav Vodička, took over the administration of the facility. Two years ago, however, the state suspended the fighters’ union’s generous operating allowance until then, and savings began.

Until then, the union received several million crowns every year. Vodička, a member of the Communist Party during the totalitarian regime, faced long-standing criticism for squandering the union’s finances. Controversy was also sparked by the awarding of a union medal to former communist leader Zdenek Ondráček. As a member of the Public Security, Ondráček participated in the suppression of demonstrations in 1989.

“We don’t have any donations now, we tried to keep up with the museum until the last minute. I am currently looking for money to repay the city,” Jaroslav Vodička told Czech Television at the beginning of the week. Miroslav Frost also admits the problems.

“For the last five months, the workers haven’t been paid​​​​​​​​​​​​ and it has gone to the bottom,” Frost said sadly, adding that some of the shows have the owners and that they have already begun to remove them.

“It’s all listed here. For two hundred years there was a military equipment plant there. The hooks on the roof remind us of that,” said the guide Alena Fišerová. She was also not paid for her work for months.

Mayor Jan Borůvka (ANO) told Novinkám that he tried to negotiate with the museum operator, even suggesting that he apply for a city or regional grant from which the operation would be possible. funding, but the answer was no.

“I spoke to Mr. Vodička and told him that there was money and that it needs to be paid. Unfortunately, the answer was zero. The debt was going up. We sent a pre-sale notice already in June. Nothing again. That is why we had to terminate the contract for breach of obligations arising from the contract,” Mayor Borůvka summarized the development of the case and said that he was personally not happy that the museum came to end in this way.

Together with the city of Náchod, for example, they discussed a possible collaboration on more traffic, but then the debt started to grow and it was necessary to act. Because the contract was terminated, the city council approved the plan to sell the property.

“One candidate applied. He wants to build a gastro center here. We are currently waiting for an estimate of the building and then it will be clear whether it is acceptable to accept the price,” said Jan Borůvka.