The Liberec Region should buy the hotel and transmitter Ještěd from ČRa for 181 million CZK

Liberec - The Liberec Region is set to purchase the Ještěd hotel and transmitter for 181 million crowns, Czech Radiocommunications (ČRa) will have to pay an annual fee for using about one-third of the building, which is estimated to be around three million crowns, said the director of Czech Radiocommunications, Miloš Mastník, to reporters today. Both parties have been negotiating the acquisition of the building for over a year. The purchase must be approved by the regional council, which will meet on August 26.

"We agreed on what was key and important for the Liberec Region, which is that Czech Radiocommunications will start paying from next year for part of the property they use for broadcasting and other services. The fee will be adjusted according to inflation and will also change after a renovation based on a new expert appraisal," added governor Martin Půta (Mayors for the Liberec Region). The purchase price is still to be confirmed by an expert appraisal being worked on by Deloitte, which is expected to be ready in August.

Originally, the region was planning to spread the payment over installments, with 25 million crowns prepared in the budget for the first installment, but according to the governor, they are ultimately able to pay the price in one go. "That decision is purely economic. We received an offer from ČRa that corresponds to their expectations and money valuation. We could obviously borrow from the bank for this, but we are capable of paying this amount all at once from this year's budget. We are creating some reserve for it," said the Liberec governor.

ČRa offered Ještěd to the Ministry of Culture last year, but they showed no interest in the valuable building listed in the indicative list of UNESCO monuments. "We had several private interested parties, but it is absolutely key and important for us that the facility is in the hands of someone who will responsibly take care of it, and we also feel that the building should be accessible to the general public," added Mastník. According to him, there were more interested parties for Ještěd - from abroad and domestic investors, but priority was given to the region. "For us, this is a guarantee that the facility will continue to operate as it should," he added.

The mountain hotel and transmitter Ještěd has been in operation since 1973 and is one of the most original architectural works in the Czech Republic. Architect Karel Hubáček won the prestigious international Perret Award for the project in 1969. People chose the building as the Czech construction of the 20th century. The building has been a national cultural monument since 2006, but it is not in good technical condition and needs a renovation estimated at around 400 million crowns. According to Půta, the region is in talks with the government about the possibility of direct grants for the renovation, which could start within ten years.

ČRa has owned the hotel and transmitter since 2000, having acquired it for 85 million crowns and invested additional tens of millions into repairs since then. According to Mastník, the company allocates hundreds of thousands of crowns annually for repairs and maintenance. However, the building requires a significant renovation after more than 50 years of operation.

The intention to purchase Ještěd was approved by regional representatives in August 2008 when the regional leadership was a coalition led by ODS. At that time, speculation about a price around 70 million crowns was circulating, and the budget had prepared a hundred million for it. However, after the elections, the regional government was formed by ČSSD and negotiations did not continue. At that time, the region dissolved the money into healthcare fees. Even now, the purchase of Ještěd does not have full support in the regional council.