The construction of the new kindergarten by the dam will cost Jablonec nad Nisou 144 million CZK

Jablonec nad Nisou - A new kindergarten near the Mšeno dam in Jablonec nad Nisou will be built by Strabag for 144 million crowns. The company won the public tender with the lowest bid, which was 15 percent below the original estimates of the designers. The city has received an EU grant for a facility for 156 children; the kindergarten should welcome its first children on September 1, 2027. Jana Fričová, the spokesperson for the city hall, reported this today.

The new kindergarten will be on the site where the original Svobodná school was, which has relocated, as well as a special kindergarten. "The original pavilioned kindergarten built as part of 'Action Z' had several problems, which is why the decision was made to demolish it. However, one of the pavilions housed the transformer station for the entire area, so it was necessary to first demolish part of the buildings, create space for the new transformer station in their place, coordinate the relocation of the transformer station, and then demolish the remaining building," described the progress of the ongoing work by Deputy Mayor Jakub Chuchlík (Pirates).

The design of the new kindergarten came from an architectural competition in the summer of 2023. From 28 proposals, the jury selected the one by the association of architects Martin Vančura, Anna Koukolová, and Ateliér Za Mák as the best. "Although the kindergarten will have a total capacity of 156 children, we expect to occupy 142 places. We want to keep one of the classes as special with a maximum of 12 children," added Deputy Mayor Jana Hamplová (Mayors for Liberec Region).

Strabag will build the kindergarten; in separate competitions, the city will also select suppliers for the garden, furniture, and kitchen equipment. "The aim of the project is to increase the number of available spots in the Palackého Kindergarten. The existing capacity of the facility will be increased by 85 places thanks to the supported project," said Iveta Habadová, head of the department of grants at the city hall. The city managed to obtain over 142 million from European funds for the project, which will cost a total of 213 million crowns. This is the highest grant that Jablonec has received for any project so far.

In the second largest city of the Liberec Region, this is not the only such project; in September, a new forest kindergarten called Venku was opened in Jablonec. The simple wooden building for 18 children cost the city just under six million crowns, and was built by the company Domesi in six months. The city hall is investing not only in the construction of new buildings but also in the repair and renovation of schools, with a budget of 157 million crowns for this year. Jablonec operates 19 kindergartens, which are currently attended by 1,459 children.