Jičín is preparing documentation for the Cidlina relaxation zone

Jičín – The town of Jičín is preparing to commission work on the project documentation for the construction of the Cidlina relaxation zone on the outskirts of the city. The project is to be developed by a group of architects including Klára Novotná, Karel Novotný, Tereza Mirská, and Jiří Neuvirt, who won the architectural-landscape competition for the zone's design this year. The city is expected to pay a maximum of 2.8 million crowns excluding VAT for the documentation, said city spokesperson Jan Jireš today.

The costs for the actual construction of the relaxation zone, which will cover an area of about 7.5 hectares, are estimated by the city at 40 million crowns. The idea of creating a relaxation zone around the Cidlina river originated in Jičín back in 2000.

The city will commission the architects for the documentation through a so-called negotiated procedure without publication. "The negotiated procedure is a continuation of the landscape-architectural competition. The winner will develop the project documentation according to their concept. The team of authors must submit a price offer no later than February 21," Jireš stated.

The zone is to be created on currently unused land between the Nové Město housing estate and the Cidlina river, not far from industrial plants. The transformation of the area will be gradual and is expected to take several years. The city has already purchased the necessary land in the zone and negotiated with ČEZ to relocate high-voltage lines. The establishment of the zone is especially important for the residents of the Nové Město estate, where there are no parks or public green spaces.

According to the architects' proposal, the Cidlina zone will include a walking trail and park, play areas and playgrounds for both children and adults, a dog park, a pump track for cycling, several bridges and footbridges, rest areas, a skatepark, an outdoor cinema, grilling spots, an inline skating track, and a hill for sledding.

Before the May announcement of the architectural competition, the town hall engaged in various discussions with the city's residents. The specifications for the competition included, among other things, the opinions of citizens, including anonymized contributions on social media. Nine entities participated in the architectural competition.

In previous years, the town of Jičín has organized architectural competitions for the design of the Máj kindergarten and for the transformation of former barracks into a residential neighborhood. The preparation of the barracks area for new construction is one of the current priorities of the city. The estimated cost for building the infrastructure in the area is 200 million crowns.