Negotiations between the Liberec Region and ČRa regarding the purchase of Ještěd will continue next year

Liberec - Negotiations of the Liberec Region regarding the purchase of the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd from Czech Radiocommunications (ČRa) will continue into next year. The conditions and price should be clear by the end of March, said regional governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) to reporters today. The memorandum signed by both parties in June anticipated negotiations to conclude by the end of this year, but the deadline will now be extended by a quarter of a year.

"It is not entirely simple, for example, to define the future division of the property and the use of its parts for the operation of radiocommunication services, for the hotel, the restaurant, and for some spaces where there could be an exhibition in the future that would commemorate the history of the property. Especially considering that we know a relatively extensive and demanding reconstruction lies ahead," the governor explained the reasons for the extension of the deadline. He believes that by the end of the first quarter of next year, an agreement will be ready for discussion by the region's bodies - the property committee, the council, and the assembly.

The mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd have served since 1973 and are among the most original architectural works in the Czech Republic. Architect Karel Hubáček, who would have celebrated his hundredth birthday this year, received the prestigious international Perret Prize for the project. Since 2006, the building has been a national cultural monument and was voted the Czech building of the century by the public. The structure, which dominates Liberec and the entire region, has been owned by ČRa since 2000. They acquired Ještěd for 85 million crowns and have invested tens of millions more since then into repairs. The region discussed the purchase of the building as early as 2008, but ultimately it fell through.

The coalition agreement of the Mayors and Together includes the purchase of the Liberec landmark, and according to Půta, the coalition will negotiate about it with the opposition as well. The majority of the opposition ANO movement did not vote on the proposal in June, as its representatives mostly left the assembly discussions without raising any objections or proposals. "Of course, the conditions of the purchase agreement and the conditions for future operations will be decisive in the voting, which is what we are currently negotiating quite intensively," added the governor.

The Ještěd building requires a complete renovation, including infrastructure, with costs estimated by designers to exceed half a billion crowns. This year, the Liberec Region has already allocated five million crowns to the association Ještěd 73 for project preparation, and another 12 million is in the budget for next year. The budget also anticipates the first installment of 25 million crowns for the purchase of the building, if approved by the representatives. Regarding the renovation, according to Půta, it would be ideal to carry it out at the same time as the construction of a new cable car to the summit, which is planned by the city of Liberec.