Pilsen provides CZK 14,5 million to support sports and culture

The funding will help hundreds of local actors overcome and get through the coronavirus crisis

Pilsen sets aside 14,5 million Czech korun (around 0,53 million euros) from the municipal budget to help cultural and sports entities with projects in the field of tourism and city presentation survive the coronavirus crisis. The municipality announced the new measure on Tuesday, which is expected to benefit hundreds of local organisations and individuals.

The cultural offer – a decisive factor for high life quality of Pilsen

During the COVID-19 crisis, many of the cultural, sports and other event organisers in Pilsen lost a considerable part of their revenues, as the epidemic state did not allow for mass events to take place. The effects of the state of emergency have therefore been catastrophic for the event managers and the related industries.

The rich cultural offer and its quality in Pilsen prove to be essential for the quality of life in the city, according to opinion polls among citizens. According to a study published by the municipality in March 2020, as many as 83% of the population is satisfied with the living standard in Pilsen.

What is more, the most frequently mentioned contributing factor to this opinion is culture, (31.1% - 730 respondents), followed by parks and greenery (16.4% - 384), quality public transport (14.3% - 335), sports and sports activities (10.6 % - 249). The quality of cultural and sports activities is also one of the main reasons for attracting new inhabitants, students and visitors to Pilsen, explain local officials.

"Festivals and other cultural and sports events fill hotels and restaurants and create thousands of jobs in Pilsen. Hundreds of people are involved in the implementation of cultural and sports projects, often acting independently as self-employed persons. Many of them lost all or a large part of their revenues following the promulgation of a government decree of 10 March 2020 banning collective activities. This support is intended for them”, explained Mayor of Pilsen Martin Baxa, quoted by the municipal portal.

The total amount of the support provided by the Czech city is 14,5 million and each entity can apply for up to 250,000 korunas. It is meant to serve four areas:

• Support for cultural and sports events
• Traditional events
• New summer activities
• Support for operators of sports infrastructure

The individual subsidies come on top of a number of other measures to support the local economy, announced as the "Pilsen Anti-Coronavirus Twelve".