Mountain-top Hotel and Television Transmitter Ješt by Hubert
Modern architecture on the tentative list and you can spend the night there! No question that I couldn't resist this temptation, and so I planned an overnight stay at the Mountain-top Hotel Ještěd on my trip to Czechia in October 2021. I spent the day hiking in the Jizera Mountains, the Czech part of the Beech Forest WHS. Therefore, I approached Ještěd from the east. From this direction, you can see the tower from afar. Its unique shape elegantly extends the mountain peak into a pointed needle. From the town of Liberec it is about five kilometres on a winding road up to the Ještěd peak, the last few hundred metres are only open for guests of the hotel. Therefore, it is probably better to take the cable car, at least on weekends and when there is snow. Ještěd seems to be very popular with hikers in summer and for skiing in winter.
When you arrive at the hotel, you immediately understand why it is called "Mountain-top". The tower stands directly on the summit and occupies the entire area. In front of it there is just enough space for the cars of the hotel guests and for a small bistro with some tables outside. Behind the hotel is the cable car station and there is not even enough space to capture the tower as a whole in a photo. So there is not much to do up there: walk around the tower, take a few photos and enjoy the view. I liked the interior very much, it spreads the nostalgic atmosphere of the 1970s. Take the lower photo as an example, it shows the corridor in front of the high category rooms. Parts of the decoration and artworks, especially in the entrance area, are originals. The furniture in the rooms is of course new. I am not sure how close to the original the replicas are. At least there are so-called Retro rooms, which are described on the website "according to the original Otakar Binar design". I had an Economy room in the lowest price category (upper photo), 2200 CZK (about 90 Euro) with shared shower and toilet, the higher category costs from 3500 CZK up to 8600 CZK for the Family Studio. So rather pricey. Pre-booking is recommended, the hotel has only about 20 rooms and apartments. I booked two weeks in advance and was lucky to get the last available room.
The hyperboloid construction is certainly special. And so is the combination of hotel and TV transmitter in one single building. I am not sure if this is enough to justify inscription. However, the second half of the 20th century is not yet well represented on the WH list. I really enjoyed my night at the Mountain-top, the retro style of the hotel and the beautiful view from my room down to the city of Liberec and the surrounding area. Thus, a thumbs up from me.