Architect Hubáček is not only associated with Ještěd, as the exhibition in Liberec will show

Liberec – The North Bohemian Museum in Liberec is preparing an exhibition dedicated to the architect Karel Hubáček, whose 100th birthday was celebrated this year and who passed away 13 years ago. One of the exhibition curators, Luděk Lukuvka, told journalists today that they want to remind visitors that Hubáček is not only associated with the unique construction of the hotel and transmitter on Ještěd, for which he received the prestigious Perret Prize.

"We want to present him here not just as the author of Ještěd, but also as the author of a broad architectural oeuvre, as a personality," said Lukuvka. This is also why the exhibition carries the nickname "the famous unknown." The opening will take place on Wednesday evening.

In the museum's small exhibition hall, there will be several models of buildings, documentary photographs of the original form and current state of Hubáček's architecture, period plans, and visualizations of unrealized buildings. "Because honestly, Karel Hubáček, like many other architects, built more that was never realized than he did build," the curator pointed out. One of the unrealized buildings that will be showcased in the form of a model is the extension of the Naivní divadlo (Naïve Theatre) in Liberec.

However, the exhibition cannot lack Hubáček's most significant realized works. As the first thing, visitors will see a model of the hotel and transmitter on Ještěd when they enter the hall. "Then there will be one of his earlier works, his family prefabricated house, which is now open to the public. There will also be an early realization of the Máj cinema in Doksy. And a late, very significant realization of the little-remembered concert hall of the cultural center in Teplice. I highly recommend visiting it because it is one of the best acoustic halls for music in all of Bohemia, which is little known," the curator added. Among the six most significant Hubáček buildings, he also included two technical structures in Prague - the tower of the Hydrometeorological Institute in Libuš and the water storage tower in Děvín.

The curators managed to obtain photographs from Hubáček's family's private archive for the exhibition. "I think this will be very nice, as there will be unpublished photographs that show how Karel Hubáček changed over the years, not only visually but also document the transformation of this personality," Lukuvka added. The images capture the life of the architect from the 1950s to the 1980s. The exhibition will also feature a documentary created by the non-profit organization Post Bellum, which manages the Memory of the Nation collection. The film showcases the personality of the architect through the memories of colleagues, family, and friends.

The museum is also preparing guided tours of the prefabricated house that Hubáček designed and lived in. The museum has managed the house since the end of last year. "The house has been accessible virtually since February this year, and as a companion program to this exhibition, guided tours will take place from June to early October. We start on June 18, and every Tuesday afternoon will be dedicated to the tour of Karel Hubáček's house," said the museum director Jiří Křížek.

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