Czech Lípa announced a competition for the reconstruction of the burned Kounic House

Česká Lípa - Česká Lípa has announced a public competition for the reconstruction of the burned-down Kounic house. The House of Children and Youth Libertin plans to move into the heritage-protected building, as its current facilities are no longer sufficient. The costs for the reconstruction of the extensive complex with two courtyards are estimated by the designers at 263 million crowns, according to information on the city's website. The deadline for applications ends on Monday, February 19.

"The construction will certainly be expensive, but we are counting on it in the budget," said Mayor Jitka Volfová (ANO) to ČTK. Like the reconstruction of Jirásek Theatre or the construction of an outdoor swimming pool, the city will fund the construction from its own savings. According to the mayor, Česká Lípa has enough money in its funds and does not need to go into debt. "We know how to count, and we never wanted to take any risks; we try to keep the city's operating costs under control," Volfová added.

The burgher house, also known as Kounic's, was completed in 1771 by the then owners of the estate, the Kounics. It was built on the site of a feudal brewery, which was destroyed by fires in 1611 and 1698. The house originally served the estate's officials, and in later years it housed a salt warehouse, a military hospital, a customs office, a Czech gymnasium, and in the second half of the 20th century, it served the Svazarm. In May 2015, the house burned down due to welding work on the roof, which the building lost in the fire.

At the time of the fire, the house was not owned by the city; it belonged to the Association of Sports Federations of the Czech Republic, which did not repair it after the fire. The heritage building without a roof was exposed to rain for several years and was in a state of emergency. There was a risk not only of its destruction but also of damage to neighboring buildings or injury to passersby. Therefore, in 2019, Česká Lípa purchased the house for 1.9 million crowns, and the city invested additional millions into structural reinforcement, temporary roofing, and preparation for reconstruction.

Work on the restoration of the heritage site is expected to begin in the summer, after which the House of Children Libertin will move from its rented space on Škroupovo Square, which has become too small for it. "The feasibility study prepared for the city by architect Tomáš Beneš showed that there is plenty of space in the building for the children, and it even allows for future expansion," said Deputy Mayor Martin Brož (ANO) to ČTK. If Libertin does not fit into the house, the second option would be the city library.

According to the analysis, Libertin currently has approximately 850 square meters of space available and would need about double that. The layout of Kounic's house offers approximately 2600 square meters of floor space and an additional up to 750 square meters in the attic. After subtracting various operational areas like communication corridors, an elevator, or a machine room, more than 2100 square meters remain for the needs of the House of Children, according to the deputy mayor. "So the spaces are sufficiently large to accommodate it along with some future growth," Brož added.