Liberec Region is negotiating for the possible purchase of the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd from ČRa

Liberec - The Liberec region is negotiating the potential purchase of the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd from Česká Radiokomunikace (ČRa). This would allow for funding from European funds for the restoration of the monument, which aspires to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Representatives of the region and ČRa signed a memorandum of understanding today at Ještěd, in which the Radiocommunications confirmed that they do not intend to negotiate the sale of the facility with any other interested party until the end of the year. The Liberec region thus has time to discuss the purchase of the national cultural monument.

"In the event of a potential sale, it would, of course, be agreed upon such that the provision of services served by the Ještěd transmitter, especially the continuity of terrestrial television and radio broadcasting and the operation of network elements, including backup sources and necessary potential backup solutions, would be ensured, both in the case of sale and reconstruction," said the director of Česká Radiokomunikace, Miloš Mastník, to reporters today. He added that ČRa do not necessarily need to sell the transmitter; they were approached by the region.

According to Mastník, Ještěd is one of the 26 critical transmitters that cover the entire Czech Republic with a television signal. "It is part of our critical northern backbone optical route; if we were to uncover that cloak, we would find dozens of radios behind it providing internet connectivity. We approach the negotiations with the understanding that we must primarily maintain the continuity of our services and further development, but at the same time, we realize that this is a unique tower that should serve the public and is a symbol for the Liberec region," he added.

Governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) today appreciated the accommodating step taken by ČRa. He stated that it is not the first time the region has negotiated with ČRa regarding the purchase. "The intention to buy the hotel and transmitter at Ještěd should be addressed by the new council that will emerge from the upcoming regional elections. By doing this, we have prepared the ground and indicated funding possibilities," the governor added. He reminded that the building is on the indicative UNESCO World Heritage list, which offers the region possible funding options from European funds. The councilors will discuss the intention on Tuesday, June 25, with detailed materials prepared by the region by August.

The intention to purchase Ještěd was approved by the councilors as early as August 2008 when a coalition led by the ODS was at the head of the region. At that time, speculation was about a price of around 70 million crowns. After the elections, however, the government was formed by the ČSSD, and negotiations did not proceed. It was only in 2015 that the region, led by Mayors for the Liberec Region, entered negotiations. "We financed the architectural study for the restoration to a large extent, and now, after nine years, it is evident that without some further input from the region or another public law entity, the reconstruction will not progress much," said the governor. According to him, that is the only way to obtain grants for the costly project.

The Ještěd hotel and transmitter have been in operation 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 Award for the project. Since 2006, the building has been a national cultural monument, and people chose it as the Czech building of the century. However, years ago, when an exhibition of architectural designs was held, most visitors criticized or rejected Hubáček's design. This is evidenced by a visitor book that was discovered while preparing the exhibition for the 40th anniversary of Ještěd.

Today, the building is a dominant feature of Liberec and the entire region; no one can imagine Ještěd without it. Since 2000, the owner of the hotel and transmitter has been Česká Radiokomunikace, which acquired it for 85 million crowns and has since invested additional tens of millions into its repairs. For several years, efforts have been underway, with public contributions, to restore original elements in the interiors. The hotel lounge and Avion bar have returned to their 1970s appearance, and some hotel rooms have also been restored to their original state, albeit with smaller changes.

However, the monument urgently needs a complete reconstruction, including infrastructure; according to the estimates of designers, costs will exceed half a billion crowns.