The form of the terminal will be chosen by Liberec in an architectural competition

photo: ŠJů, Wikimedia Commons

Liberec - Liberec will select the design of a transport terminal in an architectural competition, which is expected to be built near the bus station by 2019. The construction is estimated to cost 150 million crowns, and the city will apply for a European grant to fund it. The city council decided to announce the competition on Tuesday, with the results expected by mid-March. This was said today to journalists by the city’s economic deputy mayor, Jan Korytář (Change for Liberec).

"We will invite at least 24 architectural offices from across the country. We selected those with experience in building terminals. However, anyone else can also apply," Korytář stated.

The winner of the competition will receive 100,000 crowns and approximately half a million crowns for copyright fees if their design is realized. "Alternatively, we may select two or three designs and then combine them if there are good ideas in multiple proposals," the deputy mayor added.

The reconstruction of the bus station in Liberec has been discussed for years. The platform area was modernized in the mid-1990s, but there were no funds left to build decent facilities. Since then, travelers have been served by a temporary structure made of construction cells. The modernization of the transport terminal in the county town is one of the priorities in the field of transportation as part of the Integrated Urban Development Plan of Liberec - Jablonec nad Nisou (IPRÚ). The city has long found the state of the bus station unsatisfactory, as it does not provide adequate services to passengers or carriers. A check-in terminal with a parking garage for 220 to 300 cars should provide passengers and carriers with decent facilities and appropriate infrastructure.

It is expected to be built on a city-owned plot, on a parking lot for 50 cars above the bus station. Architects should include the surrounding buildings in their study, including the bus station. The municipality is considering purchasing the station from a private owner. "What we see in the proposals can help us decide whether to proceed with the purchase of the station," Korytář stated. Purchasing the station would cost the city treasury millions to tens of millions of crowns.