On the roofs of Libušín, 1000 square meters of shingles will be needed

Rožnov pod Radhoštěm (Vsetínsko) - Craftspeople are using approximately one thousand square meters of wooden shingles for the restoration of the Libušín lodge at Pustevny. Work on installing the roof covering has already begun, and it is also planned to be treated with an impregnating oil. The builders are working on the monument, which burned down more than four years ago, doing sheet metal covering for all valleys and erecting chimneys. The masonry work is 90 percent complete, said Milan Gesierich, the technical deputy of the Wallachian Open-air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, which manages the building.

"The construction of the kitchen is already completed. Above it, there are complex air conditioning units installed under the trusses. We need to spread out a self-extinguishing system under the roof covering. In case of fire, water would be released from it," Gesierich stated.

The rough structure has been standing since spring, except for the so-called Pustevny, which is part of the Libušín building complex. The museum will relocate a transformer station and fire system technology beneath it. Additional networks for engineering supplies, such as water and sewage, are also being created throughout the building. Libušín will be heated by heat pumps. "We would like to heat it for the winter so that we can work indoors even during the winter months," Gesierich said.

The public should be able to start using the restored Libušín in the winter season of 2019/2020. About seven percent of the elements from the original lodge, which were saved or stored in a repository after renovations, will be used in the new building. Craftspeople in the workshops are restoring the windows and doors, for example. The restoration of Libušín will cost over 100 million crowns.

Under the scaffolding is now also the neighboring lodge Maměnka. Like Libušín, it was built at the end of the 19th century according to the design of architect Dušan Jurkovič. "We are sanding the southern and western sides of Maměnka, and we hope to have them painted by October. Work is also underway to replace damaged elements, especially on the railings. Next year, the other two sides will be tackled," the deputy stated. According to him, the total reconstruction of Maměnka will cost about 4.5 million crowns. Both monuments will also regain the colors from 1925.