For further demolitions in the Ralsko area, the Liberec Region is requesting subsidies

Liberec - The Liberec region is preparing further demolitions in the former military area of Ralsko. A total of 17 unsatisfactory buildings in the Hradčany and Svébořice areas are set to be demolished. Costs are estimated at 42 million crowns, part of which the region wants to obtain from a program by the Ministry for Regional Development focused on supporting area revitalization. The region can obtain up to half of the necessary funds. A total of 200 million crowns is available in the ministry's call, said Deputy Governor Jitka Volfová (ANO) to reporters today.

The Ralsko area, covering 250 square kilometers, was used by the Soviet army until the early 1990s. However, it served military purposes as early as the first half of the last century. Between 1938 and 1991, it was successively occupied by the German, Czechoslovak, and Soviet armies. The area is one of the most burdened locations in the country due to the presence of Soviet troops, and the remediation of the area has cost over half a billion crowns. The Liberec region took over part of the space from the state in 2007, which included around 170 objects, a large portion of which has already been demolished.

Since 2011, the region has had more than 40 objects demolished in the military area, at a cost of about 43 million crowns. This includes, for example, an unfinished cultural house, the general staff, two boiler houses, and other ancillary buildings. This year, work has been ongoing since the beginning of the year to demolish further objects, which will cost the Liberec region nearly nine million crowns. Pine trees are being planted in their place.

"The aim of the demolitions in the former military area of Ralsko is to create a clean and safe place primarily for recreational purposes. In terms of area, Ralsko is among the largest municipalities in the republic, and it would be a shame for it to remain abandoned with no public use," added Jan Sviták (Starostové pro Liberecký kraj), Deputy for Transport, Investments, and Public Procurement.