The Liberec Region will give 100,000 crowns for the renovation of the lounge at Ještěd

Liberec - The Liberec region will contribute 100,000 crowns to the Civic Association Ještěd 73 for the restoration of the salon in the building of the same-name mountain hotel and transmitter. The salon is to return to its original form from 1973, when Ještěd was opened to the public. The project is currently planned at 350,000 crowns, with the region and Czech Radiocommunications (ČRa) each contributing 100,000 crowns, while the rest will be covered by the hotel and restaurant operator. The Liberec governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) told journalists today. According to him, the region is also negotiating with ČRa about the possibility of registering the building on the UNESCO heritage list.
    The restoration of the salon is being prepared by the civic association in cooperation with the author of the original interiors of the unique building - architect Otakar Binar. "Although the restoration of the salon is not the most urgent repair, it is nonetheless an important step towards preserving the original face of the monument," the chairwoman of the association 73 Milena Lánská told ČTK earlier. According to her, the main subject of the reconstruction will be the restoration of the original table that has survived. Of the 15 white leather chairs that stood around the table at the time of opening, only one has probably survived. The association thus has to have replicas made.
    The Ještěd mountain hotel is a Czech building of the century. The 94-meter-high hyperboloid combines the functions of a transmitter, hotel, and restaurant. The cornerstone of the building was ceremoniously laid in July 1966. Its author, Karel Hubáček, received the Perret Prize awarded by the International Union of Architects for the project in 1969. Both experts and laypersons are still captivated by the way the building enhances the silhouette of the 1012-meter-high mountain. The building, which has been a national cultural monument since 2006, will celebrate 40 years since its opening this September.
    The owner of the mountain hotel and transmitter has been Czech Radiocommunications since 2000, which acquired Ještěd for 85 million crowns. Since then, they have invested approximately 50 million crowns in its repairs. "Czech Radiocommunications support all initiatives that help preserve this unique cultural monument for future generations," said ČRa executive director Martin Gebauer. In recent years, according to him, Ještěd has been connected to the municipal sewer system, and the laminate cladding has been repaired in areas where the transmitters are located. Ještěd is awaiting the reconstruction of access ramps, concrete railings, and facade elements.