Jičín will announce a competition for the design of the Cidlina Recreation Zone

Jičín - Jičín is preparing the Cidlina Rest Zone. The city will announce an architectural and landscape competition for the design of the rest zone. It will enter into a contract with the winner for the preparation of project documentation. City hall representatives informed ČTK today. The announcement of the competition and the application for a grant must be approved by the city council. The estimated cost of the competition is approximately 300,000 crowns.

The Ministry of Regional Development of the Czech Republic has launched a grant program for the design competition, aimed at subsidizing part of the costs, including rewards for awarded designs. "The project starts with the approval of the competition conditions by the Czech Chamber of Architects, which is expected in January 2019 and ends with the signing of the contract for the preparation of project documentation," said city hall spokesman Jan Jireš.

The rest zone, costing around 40 million crowns, should be created in the unused area between Jičín's largest housing estate, Nové Město, and the Cidlina River. "It is a priority for the city that we finally begin to fulfill. In the previous electoral period, we prepared the area. This means we purchased all the missing plots and relocated the high voltage power lines," said deputy mayor Petr Hamáček (Association for Jičín) to ČTK.

According to him, the development of the Cidlina zone will not start earlier than in 2021. The city intends to obtain a grant for the construction that would cover at least a quarter of the costs. The transformation of the area should be gradual and take several years. The Cidlina zone is also expected to feature a walking trail and park, spaces for sports activities, relaxation areas, grilling corners, children's play areas, and in-line skating tracks. There are also plans to create water surfaces. In the future, the city anticipates connecting two streets at opposite ends of the zone.