The construction of the Liberec Region is the restoration of the theater in Česká Lípa for the jury and the public

Cvikov - The reconstruction of Jirásek Theatre in Česká Lípa won the 20th year of the Construction of the Year competition in the Liberec region, not only among the public but also with the expert jury. The building received the main award, which has borne the name of the author of the Ještěd hotel and transmitter, architect Karel Hubáček, since 2019, marking the centenary of his birth in February. The jury praised not only the building but also the comprehensive approach to the historical structure, said the region's spokesperson Filip Trdla to ČTK today.

The reconstruction of Jirásek Theatre cost the city 197 million crowns and took three years. The oldest parts of the extensive building date back to the mid-14th century. Today, the theatre's facilities enable it to host all types of performances, from ballet to drama to opera. Even after the reconstruction, many original elements remained in the building; builders reused the original chandelier in the main hall, original lighting fixtures, original beams, as well as original stairs and cornerstone stones.

A total of 26 buildings competed for the title of Construction of the Year in the Liberec region, four more than last year, along with ten student projects, two more than what the jury assessed last year. The governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region) also gives an award: "I decided to award the apartments of the city of Liberec Na Žižkově, not just because I think they are well designed architecturally. They are social apartments, they look nice to me, and they are well set in that place. But it is also a bit about the topic of rental housing," said the governor.

According to the governor of Liberec, there is generally a problem with the shortage of rental housing in many cities and municipalities. "I am glad that the Statutory City of Liberec has decided to supplement its inadequate housing stock. I consider this a successful project, and the award should encourage other cities and municipalities to invest boldly in this direction," added Půta during today's award announcement at the Cultural Center Sever in Cvikov.

Among buildings with a public purpose, the new nuclear medicine pavilion of the Liberec Regional Hospital won, while in the Private Buildings category, the Liberec Villa Terasy won, praised by the jury for both construction and architectural execution as well as the comprehensive technological solution for energy savings. In the Landscape and Public Space category, the Ulička řemesel passage in Turnov took the prize, and from student projects, the jury awarded Berenika Suchánková and her project Trojzemí – Krajinou Horní Lužice.

The competition for the Construction of the Year in the Liberec region has been a tradition since 2004. In recent years, the main prize has consistently gone to the revitalization of brownfields. In 2020, the new headquarters of the glass-making company Lasvit in Nový Bor, which combined two historical houses with modern extensions, won. The following year, the DOK Nordbeans coffee roastery in Liberec, which revitalized a neglected railway warehouse, claimed the prize. The year before last, the jury praised the Vratislavice community center IGI, which was created from the reconstruction and extension of a former rectory. Last year, the reconstruction of the Liebieg Palace in Liberec, which became a community center, caught the most attention.