The European House in Liberec is being completed and will start serving in July

Liberec - The European House in the vicinity of the Liberec Region headquarters is nearing completion. The reconstruction of the former administrative building of VÚTS (formerly the Research Institute of Textile Machines) will cost the region 96.6 million crowns. It is set to start serving in July. The ground floor will be home to the regional company Korid LK, which is the coordinator of public transport in the region. There will be a complete dispatch office with counters where all sorts of matters can be handled, from complaints to the issuance of regional cards, Deputy Governor Marek Pieter (Mayors for the Liberec Region) told CTK today.

The former VÚTS building is a functionalist structure with elements of art deco and expressionism. It was built between 1928 and 1929 based on a design by architect Oskar Baudisch for Jewish businessman Otto Strasse, who operated garages there. In 1951 and between 1969 and 1975, the building underwent renovations and extensions that changed its appearance both inside and out. During the reconstruction, the builders tried to restore the exterior of the building as much as possible to its original form. "However, not much of the original has survived," Radek Gebouský from the construction company Syner, which is the contractor for the project, told CTK today.

The builders completely demolished the walls, floors, and ceilings. "A part of the staircase made of cast terrazzo has survived, which will be refurbished," Gebouský added. According to him, the most valuable aspect of the building is its reinforced concrete skeleton, which has also been preserved. "It is probably one of the first buildings in our region created using this technology and it still forms the core of this structure," Gebouský said. He noted that the skeleton was in good condition, with only minor damage that appeared during the reconstruction. "We repaired the damages," he added.

The reconstruction is to be completed by mid-May. Work on the interior furnishings will take place in June so that the first tenants can move in starting July. According to Pieter, a key component will be the branch of the Center for Regional Development of the Czech Republic (CRR), which will serve as a contact point for the Integrated Regional Operational Program (IROP). People will also find additional providers of European grants in the building. The Euroregion Nisa, which administers small projects from Czech-Polish and Czech-Saxony EU programs, will also move its headquarters to the building. "CzechInvest and the State Environmental Fund will also be there," Pieter added.