Architekt Karel Hubáček celebrates his 85th birthday

Prague - February 23 marks the 85th birthday of one of the most renowned Czech architects, Karel Hubáček. Although he is credited as the author of numerous buildings and contributed to the restoration of the completely fire-destroyed Prague Exhibition Palace, his undoubtedly most successful and famous work is the television transmitter and mountain hotel Ještěd.
    The building, completed between 1966 and 1973 at the top of Ještěd, has the shape of a rotating hyperboloid and naturally follows the shape of the mountain Ještěd. Due to its elegance and practical use of modern technologies, it received the prestigious Perret Award from the International Union of Architects in 1969.
    In a survey conducted in 2000 among domestic experts, it was declared the most significant Czech building of the 20th century, while its author placed fourth in the voting for the most important personality of Czech architecture of the last century; he was the only living architect to make it into the elite top ten. In 2005, it was declared a national cultural monument, and Liberec and the Liberec region are working towards its inclusion on the UNESCO list.