Radio communication at Ještěd is down; they are not counting on repairing the restaurant

Liberec - Radiocommunications are counting on the continued operation of the transmitter on Ještěd even after the digitalization of television signals. Concerns that they would want to abandon the tower are unfounded. The communication company no longer expects to invest in the repair of the dilapidated restaurant or hotel. This arose from the first joint meeting of the new management of Radiocommunications with representatives of the region and the city. Eva Markgrafová from the press department of the regional office informed ČTK about this today.
Governor Petr Skokan added that both the regional office and the city were afraid that Radiocommunications would lose interest in Ještěd, which would endanger its future. The exceptional building by architect Karel Hubáček is being targeted by the authorities and the region for UNESCO protection. Their goal is for Ještěd to remain a significant architectural monument in the region in the future. However, it is necessary to restore all interiors to their original state. The financing of repairs to Ještěd is, according to Deputy Governor Antonín Schäfr, an open matter.
"Radiocommunications want to obtain funding from so-called Norwegian funds; we don’t know yet how the negotiations went," he noted.
According to Skokan, Ještěd plays an important role not only as a television signal transmitter but also as a magnet for tourism. Radiocommunications have promised that they are ready to offer a symbolic lease of the restaurant and hotel to the city of Liberec or the Liberec Region if they decide to embark on this investment. Even after the digitalization of television signals, they consider Ještěd to be their strategic television and radio transmitter. This was first reported by Liberecký deník. "In this location, a total of eight frequencies are internationally coordinated," stated the CEO of the company, Jane Hannah. The communication company will also use it in the future to cover the rugged terrain of the Liberec Region.
Ještěd is a national cultural monument. Radiocommunications purchased it in 2000 for 85 million crowns. Now the more than 30-year-old tower needs extensive investment for repairs, with initial estimates approaching a quarter of a billion crowns. There is a need, for example, to build a wastewater treatment plant, and it will also be challenging to equip it with original furniture specially designed for Ještěd.