The Zahulovačka in Vratislavice has been opened to the public

Vratislavice nad Nisou (Liberec) - Until now, people admired the former coal tower and water tower only from the outside, which is one of the landmarks of Vratislavice nad Nisou. Today, the public could enter the interior for the first time, and there was great interest. All 200 places were reserved even before the tours began. The 65-meter-high tower was declared a cultural monument at the end of last year.

"There may be more coal towers in the world, but none like this in Central Europe," said historian Jindřich Vybíral. The coal tower was built about a hundred years ago, during World War I. It was created as part of the manufacturing area of the former carpet factory Ignaz Ginzkey, later Bytex. The masonry tower has three above-ground floors and an observation terrace. The ground floor housed the machine room, the middle part contained two coal storages, and the upper part had a water tank.

"During its construction, one of the most significant industrialists in Austria met one of the most prominent architects in Central Europe, Wilhelm Ginzkey and Leopold Bauer," Vybíral stated. Architect Bauer then came up with a new concept of housing. "He thought about how workers' colonies could be connected to industrial objects," Vybíral mentioned. The coal tower was supposed to be such a connecting element. "It was meant to serve not only its function but also to be a symbol of industrial entrepreneurship and a landmark of the housing estate," the historian added.

The tower in the Vratislavice area has not had any use for a long time. However, that should change. The AvantgArt association intends to transform it into the Zauhlovačka cultural center. The tower has been cleaned by volunteers since January during weekend workdays, with over 50 volunteers participating. "We have removed ten containers of debris," said the chairwoman of the association, Jitka Jakubičková. According to her, it is now possible to visit the tower without getting dirty. "But the workdays will continue. We will focus on the ground floor, where we would like to build a bar, a stage, and restrooms," Jakubíčková stated. Next week, they will evaluate the results of an architectural competition. The association received three designs for the ground floor from architecture students at the University of Liberec. "We will start from that. Then we will know how demanding the modifications will be," she added. She estimates that they will need to raise at least half a million crowns. They plan to obtain the money from grants. They have already received support from the Via Foundation and the city district.

In the future, they would like to hold exhibitions, concerts, and lectures in Zauhlovačka. One of the goals is for the tower to serve as a lookout tower in the future.