Česká Lípa plans to reconstruct the entrance to the Crystal Cultural House this year

Česká Lípa - In Česká Lípa, they plan to begin this year the long-delayed reconstruction of the entrance to the Cultural House Crystal. This was announced to reporters today by Deputy Mayor Martin Brož (ANO). According to original plans, the reconstruction of the entrance was supposed to be completed in 2021, but due to project delays, the city had to postpone it. However, costs have increased; four years ago, the city estimated the price to be around 13 million crowns, now it has 20 million prepared in the budget, with an additional fifteen million projected for the next two years.

The city council has been waiting for the project for a year and a half, causing it to conflict with the reconstruction of the theater. "We did not want to work on Crystal when Jirásek Theater was under reconstruction, so we waited for its completion," added Brož in response to a question from ČTK. The theater has been completed for over a year, and its reconstruction cost 200 million crowns. Now, according to the deputy mayor, the project preparation is finishing so that the city council can announce a public competition for a contractor for Crystal. "It will depend on whether someone applies," he added.

The multifunctional building of Crystal was designed by architect Jiří Suchomel and his team. It complements and encloses the garden of the Česká Lípa Museum. It is embedded into the terrain and the sloped southern façade serves as an air collector for solar energy. The partial embedding into the ground, good thermal insulation design, and the possibility of heat accumulation in the building's substrate create an overall concept of energy efficiency. The project started in 1975, and the cultural house was opened only in December 1990. In addition to two main halls and a foyer, the building houses a cinema, a restaurant, a ballet hall, and a gallery.

Crystal will receive new entrance doors, and the reconstruction will involve the vestibule, ticket office, and sanitary facilities, including plumbing on the ground floor of the cultural house, as well as the area in front of the entrance. According to Brož, the air conditioning also needs modernization. "We want to do it in a way that does not limit the operation of the cinema; fortunately, the building has multiple entrances," added Brož. He believes that the renewal of the entrance is just the first step towards a total renovation of the building, which is needed after 35 years of operation.