In Hrádek nad Nisou, they are preparing the revitalization of the Bekon textile mill area

Hrádek nad Nisou – The revitalization of the dilapidated textile factory complex Bekon is being prepared in Hrádek nad Nisou in the Liberec region. The city leadership estimates the project's costs to be around half a billion crowns, and the municipality is now looking for a designer. The complex is expected to include a polyclinic, a city archive and a depository, and a sports house. The buildings should meet passive standards, with plans to use alternative energy sources and so-called gray water, said Mayor Josef Horinka to ČTK.

The utilization of the complex emerged from discussions with the public, with the most calls for the construction of a polyclinic that would concentrate healthcare in the city in one place. The building is intended to be energy self-sufficient, similar to other structures in the complex. "With the architects we found for this, we made a study and investment plans. And because some grant titles are emerging now within the framework of the national recovery plan and other programs that may not exist in the future, we are trying to push this into the project phase so we are prepared to apply for grants," added Horinka.

The history of Bekon dates back to the mid-19th century when threads were dyed there. In the past, the textile mill employed several hundred people, but production ended there more than 20 years ago. The town in the border area bought the twenty-hectare dilapidated factory complex in 2015 for six million crowns to have control over its utilization. Only the outer walls remain of some buildings, and many of them need to be demolished. The sixty-meter factory chimney will be preserved, although it will be slightly shorter.

The first work on the site began with the repair of the factory chimney. "We started with the chimney, which we declare we want to preserve; I believe it is part of the history of our town," said Horinka. Workers from a specialized company are dismantling the crown of the defunct factory brick by brick, as it is crumbling. They plan to reduce the chimney by about one and a half meters and then restore and strengthen the crown according to the original design with a concrete wreath. Later, repairs of the lower parts of the chimney are also expected. The city wants to place a nest on the crown and offer housing to a stork pair.

In the future, the Bekon complex is also expected to include housing, for which there is demand in the town of 7,700 residents. "It is not yet decided whether the investor would be the city, which I think would be a bit too much, or if we would look for a partner for some kind of model PPP project (Public-Private Partnership). Some government members have also talked about supporting the construction of apartments in brownfield sites," said the mayor. He did not rule out a cooperative housing project either. "But a city of our size would need some external assistance, as it is not exactly our cup of tea," added Horinka.