Hotel and transmitter Ještěd uniquely extends the mountain for more than half a century

Prague - Selection of information about the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd (Liberec region is now the owner of the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd according to the real estate register):

- The mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd is one of the most original architectural works in the Czech Republic. The hyperboloid, 94 meters high and with a circular floor plan with a diameter of 33 meters, uniquely combines the functions of a transmitter, hotel, and restaurant. Experts and laypeople are still captivated by the way the building enhances the silhouette of the mountain, which is 1012 meters high. The hotel and transmitter Ještěd was ceremoniously handed over for use in July 1973 and has been accessible to the public since September of the same year. The creator of the building, architect Karel Hubáček, received the prestigious Augusta Perret Prize from the International Union of Architects in 1969 for the project.

- The hotel and transmitter Ještěd has been a national cultural monument since 2006, and its silhouette appears in the logo of the city of Liberec, in the coat of arms of the region, at the local university, and with the local top-tier football club Slovan Liberec. In a survey conducted in 2000 among Czech experts, it was declared the most significant Czech building of the 20th century. The owner of the hotel and transmitter since 2000 is České Radiokomunikace (ČRa), which acquired it for 85 million crowns and invested several tens of millions more into repairs.

- The flint peak of Ještěd mountain remained almost untouched for centuries. It was not until 1844 that the Liberec couple Hasler began transporting food and drinks up the mountain. Three years later, a forester named Herbert built the first wooden cabin on Ještěd, which he rented to the Haslers. They later built a sturdier lodge on Ještěd, as well as another one called Rohan’s Lodge or Rohanka.

- In 1906, according to plans by Liberec builder Ernst Schäfer, a large hotel with an accommodation hall, dozens of rooms, a ballroom for 200 people, and a veranda was built. Everything burned down in a fire that broke out in January 1963. Since 1933, a cable car had been in operation for the public to reach the top of Ještěd, but its operation ended with a tragic accident in October 2021.

- An architectural competition was announced for a new project, and surprisingly, the work of Karel Hubáček was chosen. "Hubáček's design was a bit of a shock for many people because after the old hotel was demolished, they expected some traditional mountain lodge, not a spaceship," stated Jiří Křížek, director of the North Bohemian Museum. The jury at that time noted that the work stands out for its clarity and happy harmony with the surrounding landscape.

- In the past, the tower was visited by around half a million people annually, but the operations of the hotel and restaurant were significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fall of the cable car to Ještěd in October 2021 (its upper station is about 100 meters east of the building), which has not operated since then. A conductor died in the accident. The police ended their investigation into the cable car's fall in March of this year and proposed charges against three individuals and one company for the crime of general endangerment through negligence.

- The monument, which is listed on the indicative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites, urgently needs a complete reconstruction, including infrastructure, with estimated costs exceeding half a billion crowns. However, the actual costs, according to Governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region), will only be shown by the project, which the region wants to complete by the end of next year, followed by a public tender for the contractor.

- The Liberec region negotiated the purchase of the hotel with the transmitter on Ještěd as early as 2008, when a coalition led by the ODS was in charge. At that time, ČRa offered the building not only to the region but also to the city, which, however, rejected the purchase. A year later, the new regional representation led by the ČSSD halted the negotiations, stating that there was no money for the purchase and that the prepared 100 million crowns would be used to pre-finance the reconstruction of regional roads, which received grants from the Regional Operational Program (ROP).

- Last summer, the representatives of the Liberec region approved the parameters and conditions for the purchase of the hotel and transmitter Ještěd from ČRa after more than a year of negotiations. Thirty-four out of 43 present representatives voted in favor of purchasing the building for 181 million crowns. In February of this year, the council approved the purchase of the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd from ČRa. The region will pay 181 million crowns for the building, and an additional almost three million will be added for furniture, equipment, and other accessories. The region has the funds ready from last year and does not need to incur debt for this purpose.

- The Liberec region is now the owner of the mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd according to the real estate register. The heritage-protected building was taken over from České Radiokomunikace (ČRa), along with unique furniture designed by architect Otakar Binar, the spokesperson for the region, Pavla Sýkorová, said today. The Liberec region paid about 185 million crowns for the building, land, and equipment, with ČRa continuing to use about 30 percent of the building, for which they will pay around 3.5 million crowns annually. With the building, the Liberec region also acquired over 200 pieces of furniture, which experts and heritage specialists considered lost.