55 years ago, the cornerstone of the Ještěd hotel and transmitter was laid

Prague – One of the most original architectural works in the Czech Republic is the mountain hotel with a television transmitter on Ještěd. The hyperboloid, 94 meters high, uniquely combines the functions of a transmitter, hotel, and restaurant. The cornerstone for the hotel and transmitter was laid 55 years ago, on July 30, 1966.

Experts and laypeople alike are still captivated by the way the building enhances the silhouette of the 1012-meter-high mountain. "That initial vision burst out of me. I knew I had to extend the mountain. And give the transmitter a conical shape so the winds could slide over it. Ještěd is an extremely windy mountain, and a classic wall would serve much worse," recalled the creator of the building, architect Karel Hubáček.

The quartzite peak of Ještěd had remained almost untouched for centuries. It was not until 1844 that the Hasler couple from Liberec began bringing food and drink up the mountain. Three years later, a forester named Herbert built the first wooden cabin on Ještěd, which he rented to the Haslers. They later built a sturdier lodge on Ještěd, and subsequently more, which was called Rohan's lodge or Rohanka.

In 1906, a large hotel with a vast dormitory, dozens of rooms, a hall for 200 people, and a veranda was constructed according to the plans of Liberec builder Ernst Schäfer. Everything was reduced to ashes in a fire that broke out in January 1963. Since 1933, a cable car owned by Czech Railways has been serving the public for trips to the summit of Ještěd.

An architectural competition was announced for a new project, and surprisingly, the work of Karel Hubáček was selected. "Hubáček's design was a bit of a shock for many people because, after the old hotel was destroyed, they expected some traditional mountain lodge, not a spaceship," stated Jiří Křížek, director of the North Bohemian Museum.

The jury then noted that the work stands out for its clarity and fortunate harmony with the surrounding landscape. But building it was no simple feat. The most challenging task was the technical aspect of the new structure – all the antennas that stick out on other transmitters were placed inside the building, which required the development of a special laminate shell.

One problem was calculating the load of the entire structure, which was eventually completed by Zdeněk Patrman. Many technical issues were tested in practice for the very first time here; some things were done prototypically or completely improvised – for example, the twelve-meter-long plastic rods were ultimately manufactured by a fishing rod factory.

The building was ceremoniously opened on September 21, 1973. The elegant conical shape of Ještěd earned Hubáček the Auguste Perret prize in 1969 for its elegance and practical use of modern technologies. The transmitter was also declared the Czech building of the 20th century by the magazine Architekt and a national technical monument.

In the past, the tower was visited by around half a million people annually, but the operation of the hotel and restaurant was significantly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The owners of the hotel and transmitter have been Czech Radiokomunikace since 2000.

Architect Karel Hubáček was born on February 23, 1924. In 1969, he founded the SIAL studio with colleague Masák, also known as the SIAL Kindergarten. The studio gained worldwide renown, and several generations of widely recognized Czech architects emerged from this school. Other projects by Hubáček include the now-demolished Ještěd shopping center in Liberec, the Water Supply Regulation Tower in Prague-Dívčí hrady, and the meteorological towers in Prague-Libuš. Hubáček passed away on November 23, 2011.