The Liberec Highlands will be sold in an electronic auction in March

Liberec, February 8 (ČTK) - The popular lookout tower and restaurant Liberecká výšina is to be sold by the insolvency administrator in an online auction on March 15. The bidding will start at 11.3 million crowns, while the expert estimate is two million higher. Pavel Körner, the insolvency administrator of the company Družstvo PLP Invest, which owns the property, informed ČTK today. Interested parties will have the opportunity to view the property on February 11 or 18.

To participate in the auction, registration and a deposit of 1.5 million crowns are required. The minimum bid is set at 50,000 crowns. Last year, the administrator conducted a market survey and according to him, there are serious interested parties in the Liberecká výšina. "I am convinced that it will find a new owner and will once again become a popular destination not only for the people of Liberec," Körner said.

The tower was built in the forests above Lidové sady in 1901 as an excursion inn with a tower by textile manufacturer Heinrich Liebieg. The project was developed by a Nuremberg builder, who used original materials from demolished medieval houses in Nuremberg during the construction. This created an impression of antiquity. The illusion of a castle was enhanced by a moat bridged by a bridge. Until 1966, the building retained its original form, but it then suffered an insensitive intervention in its architecture. An expensive reconstruction in recent years restored the lookout to its historical character.

Družstvo PLP Invest reinforced and illuminated the twenty-five-meter-high tower, renovated the restaurant, cellars, artificial water moat, and bridge. A wellness center and a small hotel were added. After 15 years of closure, the monument reopened to visitors in February 2013. The reconstruction cost 63 million crowns, with nearly 38 million promised to the investor from European funds. However, only just over 29 million was received due to mistakes uncovered by inspections in the project and its implementation. The missing funds allegedly put the owners into financial difficulties, which ended in execution and then insolvency proceedings. Despite the owner's problems, the Liberecká výšina remained open.