On the square in Nový Bor, they began installing an atypical fountain

Nový Bor - Today, an unconventional shallow fountain began to be installed in the main square of Nový Bor in the Českolipsko region. The sculpture symbolizes the fact that the twelve-thousand-inhabitant town is primarily known for its glass. The fountain is expected to be functional within a week, Lucie Chroustová, who designed it together with Gabriela Králová, told ČTK today.

The city selected from 25 proposals. This one won the approval of the expert jury also thanks to its clear and striking composition that tells a distinct story - a glassworker's workstation from the everyday glassmaking shift. "Our goal was to capture the process of glass production," Chroustová stated. The sculpture, resembling an open glass-making rotary mold, is named Po fajrumtu. "That means after the end of the glass-making shift, so it's an abstracted motif from the glassworks," added the Prague architect.

The fountain has a diameter of nearly six meters, its walls are made of polished stainless steel, and the bottom is made of a concrete screed. A special glass will still be applied to part of the bottom. "During the day, it will act like a mirror, and at night it will glow," Chroustová mentioned. A 5.5-meter high column made of larch wood, which rises from the calm water surface, is also part of the sculpture, along with a wooden bench of the same length. "The columns represent glassmaking molds," said the co-author.

The installation of the new sculpture completes the reconstruction of Míru Square, which began last May and cost 24.6 million crowns. The renewal of the square in the fifth-largest town of the Liberec region was practically finished by the end of last year, and this year, besides the sculpture, historical lighting was also completed. The most expensive item in the reconstruction was the renewal of the roadways, costing nearly 16 million crowns, while the city spent over four million on new lighting. However, the reconstruction significantly reduced the number of parking spaces in the square. Out of the previous 90, approximately half remain. Parking will no longer be free in the square as it has been, and charges will start later this year.