The Art Nouveau Union Cafe in Česká Lípa will get a renovated facade

Česká Lípa – The Art Nouveau café Union in Česká Lípa is expected to get its facade repaired next year. The city first spent several years unsuccessfully looking for a company to repair the damaged exterior of one of the city's most valuable buildings. When they finally found one, everything was thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic. The company Opravy památek-Kabáč, which won the contract last year in a competition, withdrew from the agreement due to a lack of workers. Now a new contractor has been successfully selected in a competition. The repairs will be carried out by the Prague company COR Interiors for 2.6 million crowns, said the city hall spokesperson Kristýna Kňákal Brožová to ČTK.

The Union café was built between 1906-1907 in the floral Art Nouveau style by the local company Otto John & Josef Jisba. The project won a gold medal at the first Liberec fair. The building, adorned with rich Art Nouveau stucco decoration, was erected at the corner of the then Post and Dlouhá streets, on the site of two older houses and the former city gate. Originally, shops were located on the ground floor, and the café was on the first floor; today, the ground floor serves as a café, and the spaces of the original café on the first floor are rented out by the city hall for short-term events.

The heritage-protected building, which is among the most beautiful in the city, underwent reconstruction more than 20 years ago but urgently needed repairs to the roof and facade, into which water was seeping. The upper part of the building had to be secured with nets by the city. "So that pieces of falling plaster do not endanger pedestrians," said the city spokesperson. Česká Lípa has been looking for a contractor for the roof and facade repairs of the heritage-protected building since 2017. The city eventually divided the contract, and the roof repair for 2.5 million crowns was successfully completed last September.

The so-called Unionka is not the only monument into which the city hall is investing. However, not all cases involve such inexpensive contracts. At the beginning of November, the reconstruction of Jiráskov Theatre began, costing 161 million crowns and lasting over two years. The city is also preparing the reconstruction of Kounic House from the second half of the 18th century. The burned-down heritage site was purchased by Česká Lípa two years ago and has been temporarily secured. The costs for its reconstruction are estimated to exceed 80 million crowns. They hope to complete it by 2025 at the latest. "It will then serve as the Libertin children's house," added Kňákal Brožová.