Jablonec nad Nisou will open the observation deck on the town hall tower to tourists starting Monday

Jablonec nad Nisou - In Jablonec nad Nisou, a viewing platform from the town hall tower will be opened for tourists starting Monday. For safety reasons, the tower is accessible only with a guide, and the viewing platform closes in bad weather. A big attraction for tourists is also the so-called paternoster - an elevator that only takes them to the fourth floor, after which they must climb 116 steps to the tower, said Radana Schaeferová from Culture Jablonec.

"This year, we opened the tower exceptionally for the Easter celebrations, and it will be permanently open starting Monday. In May and June, we will have trainees from the local business academy as guides, with the peak season being July and August. In May, it is still limited; the last ascent is at three o'clock (in the afternoon), but many schools and school trips utilize it, so it will definitely not be empty," said Schaeferová. The tower will be exceptionally open long on May 23 during the Museum Night under Ještěd. If the weather is favorable, the last ascent will be at 10:30 PM.

The viewing platform from the tower of the Jablonec town hall is popular, with hundreds of visitors climbing it each year in the mountain town. In clear weather, the 51-meter-high town hall tower offers views not only of the city itself but also of the surrounding mountain ridges - Černá Studnice, Bramberk, Královka, Císařský kámen, Liberecká highland, and Ještěd. Tourists also have the opportunity to peek into the reconstructed meeting rooms on the second floor of the town hall. "However, if there is no meeting, the chances are greater during the holidays," said Schaeferová.

The Jablonec town hall is an important building of Czechoslovak interwar architecture. The functionalist building, constructed between 1931 and 1933, is the most significant and well-known work of architect Karel Winter. He was responsible not only for the appearance of the town hall itself but also designed its interior down to the last detail, including lighting and door handles. Restoration of the valuable building has been underway since 2012, returning it to the state it had in the 1930s. The city has spent about 150 million crowns on it so far.

The most visible transformation is particularly evident in the meeting rooms, with the office of the mayor also returned to its original state. Many aspects from the past have been preserved in the building; workers discovered the original sliding doors that separated the main hall from the adjacent salon beneath the cladding. The plastic laminate from the 1970s concealed the original oval table from room 201. Tables, chairs, and even lighting have been replaced with replicas made according to Winter's original designs. Since last July, the town hall has been a national cultural monument.