Project of the primary renovation of Kittel House.
Initial renovation works have been carried out since 2006 and mainly concerned static securing of the house and remediation of timbered structures. First, it was necessary to carefully document the house, to inventory the elements, to mark the elements for removal and for later use. This was followed by the dismantling of the timbered part of the house and a new truss was created on the supports with some, albeit insignificant use of elements from the original truss.

Although it is not quite understandable for some, the logical beginning of rescue work is always the roof and the roof. The roof truss usually has an important static function in addition to carrying the roof of the house.

Only after the construction of the roof truss, which enabled the gradual drying and remediation of the foundations and masonry, was it possible to start rebuilding the timbered part of the house.
Some of the original elements from the original log cabin were also connected to the new timber section. The compact part of the original log cabin is located in the inner part of the first floor.

Year 2014
First, newly walled chimneys were pulled over the roof of the house. Then, the temporary asphalt cladding was removed and the Spanish slate roofing was started. We are a little sorry that the local slate could not be used, but at present it is simply not possible due to valid building regulations. The local Czech slurry does not have all the necessary permits and certificates for use on roofs. Therefore, on the roof, in accordance with the opinion of conservationists, Spanish covering.
The covering was then laid directly on the wooden formwork according to the designer's instructions. If the asphalt strips remain underneath, undesirable condensation of water vapor will occur, which would then destroy the wooden flap. The house also got roof windows, similar in appearance to the original. The house also has new gutters, downspouts and all roof elements, including lightning conductors.
In 2015, further important drainage and mainly internal modifications will be continued.

Kittel House in autumn 2014

Year 2015
Although it was not possible to obtain a subsidy from the Norwegian funds, which would help to complete long-term repairs, work continued thanks to the efforts of the Pěnčín Municipality and thanks to the contribution of the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. The program included draining the entire heel of the house, which is no less important as a new roof. The whole house was dug to a depth below the basement basement level, provided with drainage and all water was drained off the basement so as not to harm the house.
The village of Pěnčín has established a partnership with the Saxon city of Zittau. Together, an application for the development of international tourism was prepared and submitted, in which the Kittel House should play an important role in addition to the Zittau town hall and museum. The next steps will now depend on the outcome of the Interreg V-A Saxony-Czech Republic project.

Year 2016
During the first stage of the renovation, stone work was carried out in the lower, brick part of the house, and a replica of the original wooden annex on the eastern side of the house was built. Work continued on the heel of the house. Reconstruction of Kittel House next to the village of Pěnčín was significantly supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic.

At the end of 2016, the Slow Tourismus project was adopted in the Euroregion Neisse. More information about the project can be found here.