Old city baths attracted hundreds of Liberec residents

Liberec - Hundreds of people were attracted today to the exceptionally open new Renaissance spa building in Liberec. The city hall wanted to show the public how the building has changed since last autumn when it was acquired. The city managed to stop the deterioration of the structure, resolve legal issues with tenants, and clean up the building. During the open house associated with a charity event, the city also presented for the first time the possibilities for further use of the building and newly acquired archival materials about the spa.
"We want to draw attention to the building and the city's efforts to save it," said Jitka Mrázková from the Liberec city hall to ČTK. According to her, the building was buried under tons of waste, construction debris, and pigeon droppings. The mess filled 38 containers.
Visitors today were also greeted in the cleared building by an exhibition of photographs by artist Jiří David, who is famous mainly for the neon heart above Prague Castle, which today shone above the Liberec swimming pool. "In the evening program, actress Chantal Poullainová, the Gutha company of Jiří Jarkovský, and graduates of the technical university will present fashion creations on the theme of the evolution of swimsuits from the Art Nouveau period to the present and into the future," added Mrázková. The composed evening aims to create the illusion of a former spa atmosphere.
The proceeds from today's events are intended to enable the return of the nymph sculpture to the entrance area of the spa building. It will either be a copy of the nymph made according to photographic documentation or a completely new artwork. The current owner of the statue does not want to part with the original. The city also plans to start the repair of the unique spa roof made of fired, glazed, and ground tiles that are no longer produced this year.
Last month, the city hall assessed a total of four variants for possible use of the building. The option of transforming it into a Health House was the most appealing to the city. The city is also having a feasibility study of the project prepared. Support has been obtained from European funds as part of Czech-German cross-border projects. The project is expected to maintain and renovate the swimming pool area. The reconstruction will cost over 453 million crowns, but its financing is not yet clear.
"I thought I would never get here again. It's an exceptional building that reminds me of my suffering during school swimming lessons," said 45-year-old Pavel Němeček from Liberec, who came to see the spa with his parents and three almost adult sons.
The Neo-Renaissance Liberec spa was built between 1900 and 1902 according to the design of Austrian architect Peter Paul Brang. It was created during the peak of the then German city's development and forms an architecturally unique whole with the neighboring North Bohemian Museum and children's polyclinic. The city acquired the landmark last year at auction for nine million crowns to save it from destruction. In recent years, it has changed owners several times, who hardly invested in it at all.