Revitalization around the seat of the Liberec Region will start next year

Liberec - The revitalization of the lower center of Liberec around the seat of the Liberec Region will not begin until next year. The architectural competition was won by the Prague studio re:architekti in the autumn of 2017, but cooperation with the city of Liberec was slow for a long time. The project documentation for the zoning decision and building permit will therefore be processed only now. However, the region has reached an agreement with the city, and thus the architects will include the city park on the other bank of the Nisa River and the access to Náchodská street in the project. County governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) told reporters today.

"The city will prepare a proposal for the documentation for the adjacent park behind the river. We strive for the project to have a unified expression," said the governor. Among other things, the intention includes that two ramps will connect to the footbridge across the river, which need to be built in the future with sufficient width. "For this reason, it is necessary to remove approximately seven parking spaces, which are, however, tied to the grant program of the city of Liberec, which has promised full cooperation," added the governor's deputy for transport and investments, Jan Sviták (Mayors for the Liberec Region).

The Liberec Region purchased buildings and land in its vicinity from VÚTS (formerly the Research Institute of Textile Machines) for 125 million crowns in 2014. The former administrative building was converted into the European House for nearly 97 million crowns, and work is currently underway on the reconstruction of the former workshop building. This will cost 268 million crowns and, among other things, a business incubator, which is currently missing in the region, should be created there. "The cafeteria of the regional office, used by half of the lower center of Liberec, will move there, and there will also be an archive of the office," enumerated Půta.

The construction should be completed by mid-next year, and the region would like to follow up with adjustments to the surroundings. Preliminary costs are estimated at one hundred million crowns, with the most expensive item being a parking garage for about 250 cars. "We do not have a schedule yet, but what logically needs to be built first is precisely that parking garage. So that the areas where cars currently stand, used by our officials and visitors to the office, can be reclaimed," said Půta. Among other things, the project includes a larger amount of greenery, accessibility to the Nisa River, and a playground.