The design of the reconstruction of the former Křižan sawmill in Val. Meziříčí could begin this year

Valašské Meziříčí – Valašské Meziříčí in the Vsetín region wants to sign a contract for the development of project documentation for the restoration of the former Křižan's sawmill area by the end of the year. Last year, the expert jury selected the winning design from the architectural competition for the appearance of the new bus transport terminal, parking garage, and city hall building within the former Křižan's sawmill area. The Valašské Meziříčí town hall is now completing negotiations with architects to start the project as soon as possible, a representative of the town hall informed ČTK today in a press release.

The city owns 27,000 square meters of land in the former sawmill area. "This is a very valuable location and basically a sort of gateway to the city. Given the proximity to the train station, we would like to connect all types of public transport here thanks to the construction of a modern terminal for 16 buses. Due to the accessibility of the location, we also plan to place most of the city hall departments here, which process requests from more than 100,000 clients annually," said Mayor Robert Stržínek (ANO).

There are also plans for the construction of a parking garage for at least 180 cars. "The entire area will be complemented by the Emilie and Jan Křižan’s Alley, the planting of which has been financially supported by the Křižan family. In the remaining space, we plan to build a pair of apartment buildings. Overall, this is a project with costs estimated at more than one billion crowns, so we need to prepare everything very carefully," the mayor added. Project work on the main part of the transformation of the area could start this year. Given the scope of the project, the city plans to build in stages.

Earlier, the city announced an international architectural competition, and the jury selected a design from MACH Office and Aramé Studio from Barcelona. "Experts rated the clear urban and architectural concept very positively, which responds to the actual needs of our city and allows for phased construction. The courageous design of the city hall building, which features efficient and thoughtful energy solutions while meeting current demands for efficiency and sustainability, also impressed the jury," said Deputy Mayor Yvona Wojaczková (ANO).

The city is negotiating with the winning architects as well as the authors of two other awarded designs. "Our goal is to combine the architects' visions with the real needs of Valašské Meziříčí. I believe we are on the right track and we could sign a contract for the development of project documentation by the end of the year. However, given its scope and complexity, we do not want to rush anything," the deputy mayor stated.