Today it is an absolute icon of Czech architecture, but everything could have been different. Visitors to the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec can now see ten different hypothetical forms of construction on top of Ještěd. The models outline for them how it could have looked if Karel Hubáček’s timeless design had not won an architectural competition sixty years ago.
“It’s about reminding that it could also have ended completely differently. Don’t take it as a given that something of high quality will be created just because everyone agrees on it,” said the director of the museum, Jiří Křížek, recalling that the public initially rejected and cloned Hubáček’s proposal with the more traditional ones, which were more reminiscent of the original burnt-out hotel.
In Křížk’s opinion, a structure similar to Hubáček’s rotating hyperboloid would be difficult to create today. “If the hypothetical original Schäfer hotel were to burn down now, it would certainly be restored to its original form, because it would be a cultural monument and no one could imagine that any sci-fi architecture would be created there,” stated the director of the museum.
The original mountain hotel was built in a classic style according to the plans of the Liberec builder Ernst Schäfer. It was on top of Ještěd from 1906 until January 1963, when it burned down. In the subsequent architectural competition to build a new hotel with a transmitter, 11 proposals were submitted.
“There were two basic approaches. One was conservative, catering to nostalgia for the old Hotel Ještěd,” said exhibition curator Luděk Lukuvka. About half of the architects took a bolder approach. However, Lukuvka believes that, if implemented, none of these proposals would achieve Hubáček’s fame.
“It certainly wouldn’t be bad, but I think that today it would be taken as modern architecture of the 60s and 70s. It definitely wouldn’t have the timeless elements. Hubáček simply succeeded in building a living structure that still looks fantastic today,” he added .
Ten years had passed since the processing of Hubáček’s proposal to the completion of the construction of Ještěd. With an exhibition in its main hall, the museum commemorates half a century since the opening of the hotel and transmitter, which is one of the most original architectural works in the Czech Republic. Architect Karel Hubáček won the prestigious international Perret Prize for the project. Since 2006, the building has been a national cultural monument and is also designated as a Czech building of the 20th century.
The exhibition at the North Bohemian Museum in Liberec will last until October 10, 2023. You can find details here: www.muzeumlb.cz/
