Sokol Gymnasium in Nový Hradec Králové

The Sokol Union in the township of Nový Hradec Králové was founded at the end of 1894 and, since it did not have its own building, it used a number of spaces for its activities. At first it was the U Dvořáčků inn, where the constituent meeting was held. In 1896 the Sokol Union moved to a ground-floor classroom in the oldest school building on the corner of Václavské náměstí Square and Pešinova Street. Later, in 1907–1913, it returned to the hall of the U Dvořáčků inn, which became the U Černého orla (The Black Eagle) inn. Due to disagreements with the tenant, the Sokol activities took place in Malec’s inn at the corner of Císařská Formanská and Svatojánská (from 1918 Husova) Streets for five years.

 

Since most of the breadwinners of the local families were not very well-off workers from Petrof’s piano factory, forest workers and weavers, they could not afford to build a representative new building at that time for financial reasons. In 1908, the Sokol Union established a building department, which took over the building fund accumulated since 1895. Later (in 1911) the department was transformed into a building cooperative, which was led by Jan Petrof, the eldest son of the factory owner, Antonín Petrof. In the same year, the local builder Plesnivý drew up a design for a small Sokol gym free of charge. However, the new building in eclectic style with a neo-Baroque mansard roof was not built.

 

The Sokol Union did not get its own facilities until after WWI, in 1923, when it bought Malec’s inn, which was still in use. The corner building was gradually renovated and in 1928 it was extended with an extension with a massive “mansard” roof, which became the new dominant feature of the building. A stage, a balcony, a large meeting and rehearsal room, and other operational facilities were added and the outdoor practice area modified. The design and construction was carried out by the later Sokol Union mayor and builder Jaroslav Martínek (hence its name “Martinovka”). The silhouette of the building was completed in 1931 by a dynamic sculpture of a falcon with outstretched wings designed by Jaroslav Samek, mounted on a roof extension on the building corner (together with other Sokol emblems on the façade, it was removed at the end of 1941).

 

During the period of the so-called unified physical education, the Sokol gym was not invested in, with a few exceptions, and so it fell into disrepair. The situation did not improve significantly even after the Velvet Revolution, especially due to restitution disputes. In 2006, an outdoor playground with a polytunnel surface, including a covered facility with a kitchen, was built in the neglected courtyard of the Sokol gym. In the future, the Sokol Union plans to make the “Martinovka” open and to expand the training area by moving part of the restaurant, which contributes to the budget through rent, to the former falconer’s house. 

 

Jaroslav Rohlena