The Liberec Region will apply for the inclusion of the Ještěd Mountain Hotel and transmitter on the UNESCO list

Liberec – The Liberec Region will ask the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic to inscribe the Mountain Hotel and Ještěd Transmitter on the UNESCO World Heritage List, decided the regional representatives today. They also agreed to continue the preparation of the renovation project for the valuable building and entrusted the project management to Jiří Křížek, the director of the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec, who has long been dedicated to Ještěd.

"I have been interested in Ještěd for about 20 years; I previously worked at the National Heritage Institute and prepared nomination documentation for the so-called indicative UNESCO list, where Ještěd has been included for many years. During my time at the North Bohemian Museum, we managed several projects closely related to Ještěd, which were truly beautiful exhibitions and publications," Křížek told ČTK. The museum also manages, among other things, the experimental house of architect Karel Hubáček, who is the author of the unique building.

The Mountain Hotel and Ještěd Transmitter is a Czech building of the century. The 94-meter-high hyperboloid uniquely combines the functions of a transmitter, hotel, and restaurant. The foundation stone of the building was ceremonially laid 60 years ago in July 1966, and it has been in operation since 1973. Architect Hubáček received the Perret Award from the International Union of Architects for the project in 1969. Experts and laypeople alike are still captivated by the way the building complements the silhouette of the 1012-meter-high mountain. The building is a symbol of Liberec and the entire region.

At the beginning of this year, Ještěd and the surrounding land belonged to Czech Radiocommunications (ČRa). In early June, ownership was transferred to the Liberec Region, which paid about 185 million crowns for the building, land, and equipment. ČRa will continue to use about 30 percent of the building, paying around 3.5 million crowns annually for it. However, after years of operation, the unique building requires a fundamental renovation, with an estimate of 400 million crowns in a 2019 assessment. The actual cost will only be revealed by the project and public tender.

According to Deputy Governor Květ Vinklátová (Mayors for the Liberec Region), Ještěd deserves to be listed on UNESCO: "There is simply no other monument like this in the world with such a history and story. I believe that Ještěd belongs on that list," she stated. According to her, the region will cooperate with heritage preservationists on the building's restoration. "We will also work very carefully on how tourism will take place at Ještěd to avoid damaging the environment," Vinklátová added.