The functionalist pearl of Liberec has returned to its original form

LIBEREC - A functionalist gem of architecture in the hundred-thousand city of Liberec - the department store Brouk + Babka on Pražská Street has once again shone in its original beauty after years. The dilapidated building, which had been known as Jiskra since 1950, was acquired three years ago by the Ústí company Severocentrum. They invested 30 million crowns into its reconstruction. The repair was all the more complicated as the building is a protected monument. Martin Kollár, the chairman of the board of Severocentrum, told ČTK today.
    The department store Brouk + Babka was built in 1936 according to a design by Prague architect Jan Gillar and is one of the most interesting functionalist buildings of its kind in the Czech Republic. Therefore, the reconstruction was supervised by conservationists. "We had to preserve the maximum amount of original structures and elements that have irreplaceable value and speak to the architecture of their time," said Pavel Hájek from the Liberec construction company Havax, which carried out the repair, to ČTK.
    The successful reconstruction was also appreciated today by architect David Vávra, who knows the department store in its original devastated form. He presented it a few years ago in his television series Šumná města. Although the building was already closed at that time, so the architect only saw it from the outside. "I am glad that the once dimming Jiskra has been reborn in its original beauty with its original name Brouk + Babka," Vávra told ČTK today.
    During the reconstruction, the builders preserved the original appearance of the entrance passage and the front glazing. However, in the interiors, they added modern technologies such as air conditioning and ventilation systems, as well as three new elevators. Just like the original builders did 70 years ago, they used noble materials in the interiors - glass, wood, and metal. "A significant improvement I see is that we have made the building accessible to disabled citizens and all floors are barrier-free," Kollár noted. In addition to shops and offices, two apartments were created during the reconstruction in the top floor, offering a unique view of Liberec from their terraces.