In Chrastava, people said goodbye to the former Bytex, it will go to the ground

Chrastava - Mainly former employees came today to say goodbye to the area of the former factory Bytex, later Mykana, in Chrastava near Liberec. The dilapidated site near the train station has been empty for years, and its demolition will begin in the coming days. It is necessary because the complex is in very poor condition, even though it doesn't look like that from the outside. A modern logistics and manufacturing center will be built in its place, Libuše Malá from the board of directors of Renwon, the company responsible for the demolition and construction, told ČTK today.

Among those who came to view the empty factory for the last time today was Roman Oberer, who worked there for 33 years as an electrical maintenance technician. "I'm looking at it from my window because I live not far from here; it's sad. But we are also worried about the dust and noise during the demolition, as well as the commotion from trucks, but a few jobs are supposed to be created here, which is probably useful in today's time," he noted. Jiří Kakač also worked in the complex for over 20 years. "We got used to the peace here for years and are afraid that trucks will start coming again, and that we won’t be able to sleep," he added.

However, according to Malá, the local people need not worry. "To get the building permit, we had to present a noise study, and everything is within limits," she said. According to her, the area will mainly comprise storage spaces with an area of 20,000 square meters, half of which will be occupied by the packaging manufacturer WASSA, while the company is negotiating with other potential tenants. According to Malá, these will mainly be warehouses where handling equipment causes only minimal noise; the only noise will be from arriving and departing trucks, she believes.

The mayor of Chrastava, Michael Canov (Mayors for the Liberec Region), welcomes the fact that the unsightly area will disappear, but on the other hand, he regrets that the city will also lose some interesting parts. "That’s how life is; besides, there will be some jobs created here, so it will be beneficial for the city," he said. According to him, due to the demolition, the nearby kindergarten will be closed starting Monday. "It may seem unnecessary, but we will move the children to other buildings; the demolition is expected to last until January," Canov added.