Czech centres in Germany must save finances

Dresden, Feb 5 (CTK) - The Czech centres in Germany must save finances, the centre in Dresden will be closed after 12 years for financial reasons and it will move to Duesseldorf where a new facility is to be opened, the centres' representatives have told CTK.

The Czech centres are subsidised organisations of the Foreign Ministry. They represent the Czech Republic abroad in the area of culture, education, trade and tourism.

A total of three Czech centres are in the neighbouring Germany, in Berlin, Munich and in Dresden to be replaced by Duesseldorf, which is the highest number of all countries.

The Czech centres in Germany will have to cut their expenditures probably by up to 20 percent.

The centre in Berlin, situated in the attractive locality of the Checkpoint Charlie former border crossing between West and East Berlin, will have to close its gallery as of April 1 for financial reasons.

Its head Martin Krafl said the centre had to outline a new programme concept to save over two million crowns. Apart from closing the gallery, it has dismissed two people.

The centres' managers will know how much finances they actually have at their disposal only after the Foreign Ministry completes this year's budget for Czech centres. It may do so in mid-February, Czech centres spokesman Jiri Rosenkranz said.

The ministry does not plan to close other Czech centres. However, some of them may move to less expensive premises, for instance directly to the embassies, Rosenkranz told CTK.

The new Czech Centre in Duesseldorf, a brach of the centre in Berlin, opens in May. It will be seated in the newly established Czech House where all representations of Czech commercial institutions in west Germany are to be situated.

Czech culture activities in Dresden will be in the future organised by the Czech Centre in Berlin, the Czech General Consulate in Dresden, the Bruecke/Most (Bridge) Czech-German foundation and the Collegium Bohemicum educational institution from Usti nad Labem, north Bohemia.

Thanks to their cooperation the traditional Days of Czech Culture will continue to be held in Dresden.

The Czech Centre in Munich has not been so much afflicted by the austerity measures yet. It will stay in the same building and will not reduce its personnel and programme.

Its head Zuzana Juergens only admitted that the centre would send a number of its documents via e-mail instead of by post to save costs.