The architecture award in the Krkonoš Mountains includes the hotel, the square in Žacléř, the bell tower, and the footbridge

Rudník - The main award in the first year of the Krkonošská prize for architecture was awarded to the Aparthotel Svatý Vavřinec in Pec pod Sněžkou. Other awards went to the renovation of Rýchorské náměstí in Žacléř, the construction of a bell tower at Vlašské boudy, and a set of footbridges and huts commissioned by the KRNAP Administration. The organizers of the competition from the Local Action Group Krkonoše and the Czech Center for Architecture informed ČTK about it today.

According to the organizers, the competition should increase the interest of local governments and the public in quality architecture in the Krkonoš mountains. "It is a neighborly approach, which is a cornerstone of care for the built environment in Austria, Germany, or Switzerland," said the initiator of the prize and chairman of the Czech Center for Architecture, Josef Smutný.

In the first year of the competition, the jury evaluated 20 projects, from which it selected nine for the next round of assessment. Regarding the winning Aparthotel Svatý Vavřinec, the jury praised the professional approach of the private investor in selecting a solution through a competition, as well as the design and implementation. "A complex has been created that has significantly redefined the previous urban context of the center of Pec pod Sněžkou. It is architecturally highly valuable and functionally supports life in the municipality," stated the chairman of the jury, Tomáš Veselý.

The complex of the Aparthotel Svatý Vavřinec was built by entrepreneur Martin Kubík in 2018 at a cost of a quarter of a billion crowns on the site of the former Sněžka shopping center. It consists of four multi-story, wood-clad residential towers with approximately 90 apartments. The complex includes two floors of underground garages and a commercial floor with shops and services.

The simple, quality, and sensitive solution for the historical Rýchorské náměstí in Žacléř should serve as an example for other municipalities, according to the jury. For the Bell Tower at Vlašské boudy in Velká Úpa, the jury appreciated the sensitive placement in the landscape and the cooperation of the investor with local suppliers. Regarding the footbridges and huts, the jury highlighted the collaboration between the KRNAP Administration and the Faculty of Architecture of the Czech Technical University (ČVUT).

People will be able to familiarize themselves with the results of the competition at an exhibition that will be gradually displayed in Lánov, Vrchlabí, Malá Úpa, and other locations in the region of the Local Action Group Krkonoše.