Jablonec nad Nisou continues the restoration of the 90-year-old town hall, the cinema facade awaits repair

Jablonec nad Nisou - Jablonec nad Nisou continues with the renovation of the town hall, which is one of the significant buildings of Czechoslovak interwar architecture and celebrates 90 years since its completion this year. After the restoration of the stained glass windows, the vestibule of the Radnice cinema will now be repaired, including the aging and already non-functional bar. During the repairs, a mobile bar will serve the cinema visitors, said the spokesperson of the city council, Markéta Krajčovičová, today to ČTK.

The functionalist town hall in Jablonec is the most significant and most renowned building designed by Liberec architect Karel Winter. In recent years, the city has gradually been returning it to the appearance it had at the time of its completion in the 1930s. The outer facade of the building, including the windows and tower, has been restored, and the meeting rooms have undergone the most visible changes. "We removed the modern plastic laminate cladding that was covering some of the original, now restored, wooden elements," said secretary Marek Řeháček. The plastic laminate also concealed the original oval table from room 201.

The rooms now have new parquet floors due to woodworm damage, but workers discovered original sliding doors beneath the cladding that separated the main hall from the adjacent lounge. Not everything in the building has been preserved, elements such as tables or chairs, as well as lighting, have been replaced with replicas made according to Winter's original designs. The vestibule of the town hall is adorned with lamps based on the original architect's designs, for which there was no money at the time of construction. A replica of the recently reconstructed office of the mayor is also included.

Ninety years ago, the town hall was built as a cultural center for the city, and it included not only an office but also a restaurant and a cinema. The cinema opened its doors on October 29, 1932, while the municipal council first met in the building four months later, in February 1933. The Radnice cinema was one of the largest cinemas in the republic at the time, accommodating over a thousand spectators in the auditorium and several boxes. However, it underwent several modifications and modernizations over time; the boxes disappeared, and the auditorium now has a capacity of 410 seats.

Revitalization is now planned for the cinema’s foyer, including the bar. "The work should proceed in such a way that including the bar installation, it will be completed before the start of the festival event Kinofest 2023, which begins on November 10," added the director of the organization Jakub Gerš. The repairs will cost approximately a quarter of a million crowns, which Kultura Jablonec will pay for. The final appearance of the bar is being developed in collaboration with the City Architecture Office and the Raketoplán studio, and according to the mayor's deputy Jakub Chuchlík (Pirates), the reconstruction should be as much in line with Winter's original design as possible.