The piping and water tower from Vratislavice is a cultural monument

Vratislavice nad Nisou (Liberec) - Some parts of the former carpet factory in Liberec-Vratislavice have been recognized as cultural monuments since mid-December. The Ministry of Culture declared the coal and water tower, boiler room, power plant, and the road bridge over the river at the tower as such. The reason for the heritage protection is the architectural value of the buildings and the role of the tower in the landscape of Vratislavice nad Nisou; with its height of 65 meters, it is the most significant landmark alongside the church tower. CTK was informed of this today by the director of the Liberec office of the National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), Miloš Krčmář.

"This is a unique tangible testimony of the period of industrial expansion in the local community, historically inseparably linked to the tradition of carpet manufacturing," said Krčmář. The complex was created as part of the manufacturing area of the former carpet factory Ignaz Ginzkey, later Bytex. Today, the area mainly serves as storage.

The author of the entire complex of buildings in the Vratislavice area built between 1916 and 1919 is Leopold Bauer, who was one of the prominent architects of his time. "Bauer's realizations in our territory are largely protected as cultural monuments," noted Krčmář. Among them are, for example, the Breda department store in Opava or the Reissig villa in Brno.

The tower in the Vratislavice area has long been without any use. The AvantgArt association plans to turn it into the Zauhlovačka Cultural Center. "It would be an art studio where the main goal would be the experience of the creative process and shared craft workshops. In other words, we would like to create an inspiring place for meetings, creation, and relaxation for people of all ages, where we would awaken artistic feelings in people and strive for the revival of traditional crafts," recently stated project author Jitka Jakubičková for MF Dnes.

The association aims to start clearing out the coal tower on the weekend of January 16 and 17, and volunteers can join in. The association is trying to obtain grants and sponsorship donations for the project. The cleaning of the tower will be particularly costly, with estimates exceeding one million crowns.