The museum in Liberec has acquired key objects for the exhibition about Ještěd

Liberec - The historical artifacts that are of fundamental importance for the upcoming exhibition about Ještěd were taken over today by the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec. Among them were the former furnishings of the VIP suite, including neoclassical furniture, a carpet with Baroque decor, and tall ceramic vases. Jiří Křížek, the director of the museum, said this today to ČTK.
     The items were donated to the museum by Czech Radiokomunikace, which owns the mountain hotel with the transmitter. "We are glad that we can provide the North Bohemian Museum with part of the history of the transmitter, which is an important cultural monument not only of the Liberec region but of the entire Czech Republic. We are interested in preserving the original furnishings for future generations," stated Kamil Levinský, the general director of Czech Radiokomunikace.
     According to Křížek, they have so far managed to acquire about a hundred items related to Ještěd from individuals and companies. For example, a collection of original ceramics and glass designed for Ještěd by glassmaker and artist Karel Wünsch, kitchenware, or a period menu. "This is a good foundation, but we will have to acquire many more items," noted Křížek. The museum needs souvenirs related to Ještěd, for instance. "Every household in Liberec has them, whether in the attic or in the drawer. Whether they are badges, medals, stickers, or postcards," remarked the museum director. People can also donate family photographs that serve as a memory of a long-ago trip, wedding night, or perhaps a family celebration spent at Ještěd. "The memorabilia from Ještěd capture, sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, the forms and transformations of the mountain as well as the zeitgeist and fashion of the last four decades," Křížek stated earlier.
     The exhibition dedicated to the most famous landmark of Liberec will take place next year from June to September. The Ještěd mountain hotel is a Czech building of the century, and in 2006 it was declared a national cultural monument. The 94-meter-high hyperboloid uniquely combines the functions of a transmitter, hotel, and restaurant. The foundation stone of the building was ceremoniously laid in July 1966, and it opened to the public in 1973. Its author, Karel Hubáček, received the Perret Award from the International Union of Architects in 1969 for the project. Both experts and the general public are still captivated by the way the building complements the silhouette of the 1012-meter-high mountain.