The new Sun Spa in Jablonec will be designed by the studio Prokš Přikryl architects

Jablonec nad Nisou – The new building on the site of the burned-down Sun Baths at the Mšeno Dam will be designed for Jablonec nad Nisou by the Prague studio Prokš Přikryl architects. The same studio already won an architectural competition in 2020 for the design of the dam's facilities. The first of three proposed modular buildings has been serving visitors to the dam since early August, while the other two structures near the office of the Elbe River Basin and on the bank close to the city hall and pool are set to be completed by next summer season, said council spokesperson Jana Fričová to ČTK today.

The wooden structure of the Sun Baths from 1927, which belonged to the city, was destroyed by fire last August. Nothing remained from the complex, and the damage exceeded 11 million crowns. The police did not determine what caused the fire and suspended the investigation in February. The historic area offered refreshments, had changing rooms and toilets, and also featured a sun meadow enclosed by a fence and divided into ladies' and men's sections. The facility had been in poor condition long before the fire. "We want to achieve a uniform appearance for the facilities around the water reservoir," explained Deputy Mayor Jakub Chuchlík (Pirates) the decision to approach the same studio.

The Mšeno Dam is a popular swimming spot not only for nearly 45,000 residents of Jablonec but also attracts people from the surrounding area. On hot days, up to 5,000 people head there daily. However, the facilities are inadequate and diverse, which is precisely what needs to change. The architectural competition for the new design of the facilities was won three years ago by Marek Přikryl from Prokš Přikryl architects with the idea of using wooden modules to create a unified design for the facilities.

Last October, work began on the first of the wooden structures in the U Prutu area. The contract worth 12.3 million crowns was awarded to the company Development, which was supposed to finish by April, before the start of the swimming season, but the completion date was then moved to the second half of May. Even that deadline was not met by the contractor; the city took over the facility only at the end of July. The refreshment stand with toilets has been in trial operation since Tuesday, and it will fully open on Monday, August 7. For the delay, the city imposed a penalty of 1.4 million crowns on the contractor, according to Chuchlík.

In this year’s budget, Jablonec has 26 million crowns allocated for the other two modular facilities by the dam. "We want to announce the procurement procedure for the contractor as soon as possible, once the building permit becomes legally valid, the construction should start in the spring," Fričová said. According to her, these constructions will be simpler; in one case, there will be a refreshment stand operating seasonally, while in the other, there will be toilets with year-round operation. The stand U Prutu will also have toilets, and it is expected to function year-round even for refreshments.