From the former foundry in Liberec, a creative center is opening, it will open for the first time on Saturday

Liberec - The renovation of the former foundry into the municipal creative and cultural center Linserka in Liberec has been completed for nearly 43 million crowns. The city hall expects Linserka to be used primarily by young, creatively inclined people. Its focus is unique in Liberec, said Ivan Langr, the deputy mayor for culture, education, and tourism, to ČTK at the conclusion of the construction. People will have their first opportunity to peek inside the renovated building this Saturday during the Open Door Day, where they can look forward to tours, lectures, and a concert.

Linserka is the last remnant of the factory complex established in 1858 by Christian Linser at the corner of Barvířská and Resslova streets. In the past, his factory gained fame for producing the first prototype of a four-cylinder automobile in the territory of Austria-Hungary in 1905. "We carry that idea in a way. Not that we would manufacture engines here, but because we want to present new things and provide them with space or give people some education in matters that are at the forefront today or that are current," said the director of Linserka, Janek Jiříček. The motto of the center, according to him, will be inspiration, education, and meetings.

The reconstruction of the former metal casting factory from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries on Resslova Street took over a year. Most of the costs will be covered by the city hall from European funding, which secured 31 million crowns from the Ministry of Culture's program. "It’s a building that is now in all its industrial beauty. We tried to preserve those elements because the content here should be a bit more focused on industry, on digitalization, and mainly to attract young creative people with plenty of ideas," said the deputy mayor for strategic development and grants, Šárka Prachařová (ANO), today.

The three-story building with a three-armed staircase and an elevator has spaces for exhibitions, lectures, workshops, and various themed events. It will be in trial operation, three days a week, in January. Regular operation will start in February and will be open six days a week. The program will also involve visitors to Linserka. "Partially, we will create the program, but at the same time, we should be a place where people can come to hold some event," said the director of Linserka.

On the ground floor, there will be a so-called coffice combining a café and a workspace. "I think it will be suitable for people who are in the city and have some time when they want to work or be in peace," Jiříček stated. This space will also be intended for lectures for smaller groups of up to 20 people. A larger multifunctional hall for workshops or presentations and other events will be on the first floor. The second floor will feature a space called the studio, where exhibitions will be held. "We didn't want to burden it with the word gallery, so that people wouldn’t just imagine a static exhibition space, because we plan for it to be livelier," added the director of the center.