Collectors reminded at the Liberec city hall of the mountain hotel Ještěd

Liberec - Private collectors today exhibited postcards and period documents in the Town Hall's cellar of the Liberec City Hall, commemorating the centenary of the Ještěd mountain hotel. Their aim is to remind of an important landmark of the city, even though the hotel was destroyed by fire in 1963. Pavel Vursta from the Liberec Hobby Club told ČTK today on behalf of the organizers.
    Historic photos showcase the construction and interiors of the period building on 15 panels, which was built on the Ještěd ridge in 1907 by the German Mountain Society. Among them is also the debt note of the investor. "The entire construction of the mountain hotel then cost 161,000 crowns, and the society paid it off for several years," Vursta stated. The history of the two-story wooden building, which was built according to the project of the Liberec construction company Schäfer in just six months, ended on January 31, 1963.
    "Today, no one would remember the original building otherwise," Vursta noted. The exhibition, which will last until January 19, is according to him mainly intended for Liberec patriots, and therefore the city hall organized it with the collectors in the cellar, which is currently undergoing reconstruction.
    In the underground spaces of the historic Liberec Town Hall, there was a restaurant just a few years ago, and the foundation stone of the Town Hall from 1888 is also located there. In the future, however, the spaces are meant to serve mainly for cultural and social events. The restoration has so far cost 2.5 million crowns. Craftsmen have restored the wooden paneling, doors, and furniture in the lower hall. The stained glass windows have also been repaired and cleaned. The most significant parts of the work, heating and air conditioning, remain hidden beneath the new stone floor. The spaces have been freshly painted.
    The Neo-Renaissance building of the Liberec Town Hall from the late 19th century has been undergoing repairs for more than ten years. The city hall has already invested tens of millions of crowns to gradually restore the building to its original appearance. The town hall towers are being gradually repaired, and the roof should also receive its original slate covering in the future. However, this will be a matter of tens of millions of crowns, which the city currently does not have.