The construction of the town hall was meant to uplift Jablonec and provide jobs for the unemployed 90 years ago

Jablonec nad Nisou - To raise Jablonec nad Nisou and provide work for the unemployed were the main reasons for the construction of a new town hall in the mountain town more than 90 years ago. At least that was the argument of the then mayor Karl Richard Fischer. Many opponents of the construction at the time argued that it was an unnecessary expense that would burden the budget, residents protested against the development of the square, and entrepreneurs criticized the construction because they feared competition, described the current secretary of the magistrate Marek Řeháček the mood in the city before the construction began, as reported by ČTK. According to him, the building still serves well.

Despite the objections and protests, the then mayor managed to push through the construction of the town hall; at a key meeting on December 30, 1930, all the councilors in the hall raised their hands in favor. The new building was first convened on February 10, 1933, and this Friday will mark 90 years since then. "We couldn't find the exact date of the completion of the town hall; officials were already moving into the building in January, and the individual restaurant operations were being put into operation. We take the date of the first council meeting as the day the town hall became operational," said the secretary.

The building, which is one of the significant structures of Czechoslovak interwar architecture, was designed by Liberec architect Karel Winter. The city then spent 22 million crowns on the construction. "Estimating how much that would be in today's money is difficult, but when converted to gross wages, it amounts to about 1.1 billion crowns," noted Řeháček. The city went into debt due to the construction, and due to the crisis and consolidation of the city budget, according to Řeháček, the main topic of the first meeting in the new building was the doubling of the alcohol tax, which was a local tax. "At that time it did not pass; it was approved only three months later," he added.

Architect Winter used modern methods during the construction; the structure is reinforced concrete and only masonry. Over the years, the town hall has undergone minimal interventions, but in recent years the city has invested around 80 million crowns to restore its original appearance from the 1930s. Elements that were not funded at the time of construction, such as lamps in the foyer made according to Winter's original designs, have also been added. Many missing elements, including tables and chairs, could also be recreated thanks to the original drawings.

Even 90 years after its completion, according to Řeháček, the building still serves its purpose well. "The dimensions of the Jablonec town hall are still perfectly suitable for administrative work today. Problems sometimes occur where the original restaurant operations were later converted into offices. Winter himself modified part of those commercial spaces into offices after World War II. These are large spaces, which are variously partitioned; part of the originally restaurant operations today serves as a ceremonial hall, but there it is already evident that it has been remodeled," added Řeháček.

On the occasion of the anniversary of the town hall, interested parties will have the opportunity to view the building during guided tours every first Wednesday of the month until December 6, with the exception of the holiday months and September. During the holidays, the tours will be part of the climb to the observation point on the town hall tower, which takes place every weekday. The magistrate is also preparing an exhibition dedicated to life in the town hall over the past 90 years, and is therefore asking the public for photographs, paintings, and documents.