The dove of peace on the facade of the house will remain, the repair will be paid for by Liberec.

Liberec - In Liberec, one of the last reminders of socialism in the city will be preserved - a neon sign in the shape of a dove of peace with the inscription "peace to the nations of the whole world." The repair of the dove on the facade of a private house on Šaldovo Square will be financed by the town hall. This was reported today by the spokesperson of the magistrate, Zuzana Minstrová. The neon could shine again yet this year.
     "The repair, during which we want to use the most modern technology, will cost up to 100,000 crowns. However, for us to start taking care of the inscription, it would be ideal if the relief passed into the ownership of the city. We are now looking for ways to do that, while also seeking additional financial sources to finance the reconstruction," said the Deputy Mayor Lukáš Martin (ČSSD).
     The symbol of socialism has been on the facade of the house in the city center for more than 30 years; during that time, it has significantly deteriorated, and some letters are missing. The owner of the house wanted to permanently remove the dove during the planned restoration of the facade. Because the building from the first quarter of the 20th century is located in the city's heritage zone, it needed the consent of the town hall. However, heritage officials recommended that the city keep and repair the inscription on the house. "We do not see any trace of socialist ideology in the inscription 'Peace to the nations of the whole world,' and precisely for that reason, the dove has survived on the house to this day. If the inscription had contained the call 'long live the Communist Party,' it certainly would have been removed right after 1990," said heritage expert Petr Freiwillig from the National Heritage Institute.
     There were also people who supported the preservation of the dove and participated in a survey conducted by the Liberec City Hall. Almost 1580 people, or about 85 percent of the voters, were against its removal. "The opinion of the citizens is decisive for us. People want the dove to remain on the house. Therefore, the city will have it reconstructed this year," said Mayor Martina Rosenbergová (ČSSD).
     The dove was created at the initiative of the former Liberec National Committee in the mid-1970s. Its author is artist Karel Janoušek. "The neon dove is somewhat my child. I was pleasantly surprised that people stood against its removal. I did not expect it," said Janoušek, who will turn 80 this year. In addition to the neon sign for the city, he also designed, among other things, five fountains.
     The dove is not the first similar symbol in the Liberec region whose fate has been decided. For example, in Semily, there have been heated discussions for several years about whether or not to remove a mosaic with a hammer and sickle from the facade of a house on Rieger Square. The mosaic, measuring four by four meters, was created in the 1970s and served as propaganda for communism until 1990. It was then covered by an advertising panel. Four years ago, after the advertisement was removed, it reappeared, and discussions began about what to do with it. The councilors ultimately decided to complement the mosaic with a quote from George Santayana: "Those who do not know their history are condemned to repeat it" and leave it as a memorial to totalitarianism.