Liberec wants a million for the renovation of the spa facade, the region has no money

LIBEREC - The city council of Liberec would like to secure nearly one million crowns this year to finance restoration work on the decoration of the facade of the historical building of the municipal baths. It plans to apply for a grant from the region, which, however, does not have such funds available for monuments. This year's budget allocates 2.5 million crowns for this area, which is a quarter of the funds that went towards monument repairs last year. Eva Hamplová, head of the regional department of culture and heritage care, stated this to ČTK today.
The Neo-Renaissance Liberec baths were built between 1900 and 1902 according to a design by the Viennese architect Peter Paul Brang. They were created at a time of the greatest expansion of the then German city and form an architecturally unique complex with the neighboring North Bohemian Museum and a children's polyclinic. The city acquired the monument at an auction last year for nine million crowns to save it from destruction. In recent years, it changed owners several times, and the previous owners practically did not invest in it.
The city took over the building in October last year, and since then, according to city spokesman Martin Korych, necessary repairs and clearing have been taking place there. Workers have already filled more than 20 large containers with waste and rubble. The city plans to invest approximately ten million crowns this year in cleaning and the most urgent restoration of the historical building. The roof repair and other essential repairs will cost 7.5 million crowns, with the remainder allocated for a structural-technical survey and project documentation. The reconstruction costs are estimated at 300 million crowns.
“We found that the roof and the structure are not in as bad a condition as we thought,” Liberec mayor Jiří Kittner told reporters today. According to him, the external facade, with its rich stone sculpture decoration, is in very poor condition. Its state has been caused by non-functional rainwater drainage and insulation. Restorers estimated the repair costs at 1.076 million crowns, with the city council aiming to secure 968,000 from the region. However, Hamplová stated that the city will likely have to settle for a smaller amount. According to preliminary guidelines, the region plans to contribute up to 100,000 crowns to satisfy as many applicants as possible.
Last year, according to Hamplová, the region had 9.7 million crowns for monument repairs, yet the requests exceeded the budget possibilities by 50 million. The region ultimately contributed to the repair of 65 historical buildings. About 40 percent of the funds went towards the preservation of church buildings, and one-third was allocated to municipalities. The largest support was received by Kittel's house in Pěnčín in the Jablonec region, the Vartenberk castle in Stráž pod Ralskem, and the monastery in Zákupy in the Česká Lípa region.