Czechia's Incredible 1960s Supervillain-Lair Hotel (And Why Its Architect Got Banned)

In 1973, a new hotel opened outside the city of Liberec, in what was then Czechoslovakia. And it looked like nothing anyone had seen before. So what's it like inside? How did it win one of the biggest prizes in architecture? And why was its designer banned from the official opening? I travelled to Liberec to find out more...
INSTA - / the.tim.traveller
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WITH THANKS TO
Milena Lánská / Hotel Ještěd - www.jested.cz/en
MORE INFO
Jiří Jiroutek / Fenomen Ještěd - fenomenjested.com/phenomenom-...
Petr Vorlík - journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de...
"Building Of The Century" by visitliberec.eu - www.visitliberec.eu/en/vse-o-...
Financial Times article on the building - www.ft.com/content/69a0a1f8-8...
2013 article by expats.cz talking about the planned restoration - www.expats.cz/czech-news/arti...
IMAGE CREDITS
Antonín Novotný by Harry Pot / Dutch National Archives - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Tuned Mass Damper from Taipei 101 - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
Czech "tourists" - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
1970s-era Hotel - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...
1970s Czech aeroplane by Lars Soderstrom - commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi...

[@alexdemoya2119]

Fortunately all the mountain climbing Tim has done in the Netherlands prepared him for this

[@firesurfer]

How droll.

[@andrefourtier100]

🤣

[@dave_h_8742]

👍 😅

[@Eelynntravelchannel]

😅😅

[@louisfkoorts5590]

😁

[@proof036]

Little fun fact: with good weather conditions you can see this hotel from Germany when you're on the southern site of the Zittau Mountains. I remember seeing it back in the day when me and my parents were on vacation there. But back then I just thought it's a fancy looking transmission tower.

[@amyshaw893]

Well it basically is, right? :P

[@FrietjeOorlog]

Your what?

[@MRSCARNIVAL]

@@FrietjeOorlog Obviously they are British!

[@proof036]

@@MRSCARNIVAL who?

[@MRSCARNIVAL]

@@proof036 Someone who says your when they mean you are or you're!!! So British!

[@pneumane]

Additional note for everyone visiting Germany: Liberec is also a 2-3 h train ride from Dresden.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Don't tell anyone, but this is actually how we got there :) Took 2 hours

[@SuperDoetinchem]

Or, 1,5 hour from prague by bus and only 5quid including free coffee

[@Pitcairn88]

​@@TheTimTraveller wait, you were in Dresden and didn't tell anybody? We could have had a meetup. I would have loved to meet you.

[@hologram1211]

Love Dresden.

[@KonradTheWizzard]

I might get into trouble for revealing this great local secret. If you want to reach ANY interesting destination in eastern Germany, Poland, or the Czech Republic - simply go to Dresden by fast train (ICE) and then continue on a local train or bus. By some weird thing called geography this city is connected to almost everything in those areas. 😉

[@adamben3789]

I absolutely love this video! Thank you! As a Czech, to react to your question: I dont think there were many limitations in the field of architecture for political reasons, many buildings even paid a "hommage" to some Western architectural influences etc. In certain decades, there was in fact more creative freedom than nowadays, as the construction didnt have to be commercially viable, therefore some of the most beautiful and creative pieces of architecture come from this era. Note: Of course, this freedom applies to the style, if the architect became "persona non grata", then he could have problems even building Lenin statues. Also, the amount of political ingerence varied greatly in the different decades - 50s were very hard times economically and politically, so the grip was tighter. Btw, one interesting point: there was even a mandatory "art budget" tied to every construction, so even when a lowcost blockhouse was built, there was always some kind of sculpture, mosiac or fountain built on it or nearby, since the building company (state-owned, ofc) was obliged to contract some artist to create it. Sometimes the result was great, sometimes it wasnt, anyway some very interesting pieces of art were created this way and it kept many artists going. However, there were always serious limitations in the terms of financing and availibility of materials, therefore not all the ideas made it into reality, sadly. And even more sadly, many of the architectonic gems of the socialist era (40 years, not a short period of time) were demolished or rebuilt in a terrible way in the last decades, as many people cannot really dissociate the political stuff they didnt like from the architecture that had its qualities. However, I still think there are many buldings of interest and slowly some of them get the appreciation and care they deserve. Some links: prague-now.com/history/communist-era-hotel-praha-now-demolished/ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transgas_(building) By the way, if you like this kind of architecture, you may be also interested in a book "CCCP: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed" by Frédéric Chaubin. It showcases many buildings in the "space" style that were built in the former CCCP (therefore Czechia is not included).

[@TheTimTraveller]

Ah brilliant - this is exactly the kind of extra inside knowledge I was hoping for. Thank you very much for taking the time to comment!

[@martenkats6915]

Interesting to read this from a Czech, as I've heard this bit: "And even more sadly, many of the architectonic gems of the socialist era (40 years, not a short period of time) were demolished or rebuilt in a terrible way in the last decades, as many people cannot really dissociate the political stuff they didnt like from the architecture that had its qualities." before, but then from friends of mine who were born in the GDR (East-Germany). I guess it's a more common complaint amongst people from former "Eastern Bloc" countries

[@renhanxue]

The art budget thing is still a thing in Sweden to this day! It's not an actual law, but rather a long standing tradition of sorts (I believe dating back to the 1930's) that most publicly funded construction projects use even today - one percent of the construction budget should be dedicated to art. Similar principles seem to exist in other countries as well.

[@varana]

The amount of political influence on art and related fields like architecture varied widely over time, at least in East Germany. And often, political and economical factors were connected. Singular and exceptional buildings (like the Jested hotel) may have gotten away with more freedom, but when it comes to functional mass architecture, the official line definitely had major effects on what and how apartment blocks, government buildings, and things like that were constructed.

[@jwenting]

@@varana correct, same in the USSR. Brutalism was the standard, not because it was artistically appealing to the regime or architects but because mass production "proletarian" construction was both politically expedient AND cheap.

[@seanolaocha940]

Your ability to find bizarre things about which to make videos never ceases to amaze me. Great work Tim!

[@piccalillipit9211]

Google "Buzludzha Monument" - he should deffo do this

[@pottingsoil]

If you go to Atlas Obscura you find a lot of these oddball locations.

[@vtechk]

What's bizarre about my birthplace? :-)

[@CzechMirco]

You English should stop calling everyting that doesn't conform to your local parochial views "crazy" and "bizarre", it won't bring you any friends. You didn't like the beginning of the previous sentence, did you? Well, thats a little taste of how it feels.

[@seanolaocha940]

@@CzechMirco Firstly, I'm not English, I'm Irish. Secondly, a needle-shaped hotel built on the summit of a mountain *is* bizarre. Are there any other such hotels in the world? Thirdly, calling something bizarre is not even an insult, if anything it's a compliment. If I had parochial views I wouldn't be subscribed to Tim's channel.

[@diegobob3306]

I've spent half my life with my head buried in architecture books/magazines and I don't think I ever came across this hotel... loved the video! It's amazing how many iconic buildings also have tragic stories for the architect

[@TheTimTraveller]

Thank you! It's a similar story for me - when I found out about Jested last year, I couldn't believe I'd never seen it before. (And btw, there's a happy ending: Hubacek was eventually recognised after the fall of communism, with a Czech Medal of Merit, and honourary citzenship of both Prague and Liberec.)

[@enifrann]

Same story for me, I only discovered it by total chance when travelling in Czech republic. It is trully a "hidden" gem

[@rcajavus8141]

@@TheTimTraveller just think how much more are you not aware of under your western "fog of war"?!!?!? and your "naive" interpretations of communism is just repetition of 50 years old western propaganda, even Goebbels would be amazed, Communism is based on worker participation and corruption is part of it as any human endeavor. May I remind you of murders in England on Queen property that are not even investigated by police, why dont you explain that to us or how in England you cant dig under old schools or orphanages as they are literally full of bodies you had to outlaw it from being investigated!?!?!!? please do and then we can talk about some wasted concrete by communists. Charles Dickens wrote about England, we had Kafka and Process and Transformation as our subjects whilst capitalists abused kids so drop the attitude Tim

[@KonradTheWizzard]

There is another such gem nearby in Dresden (east Germany): the "Rundkino" (eng: round cinema) - one of the first public buildings built with industrial techniques - the same technique that is used to build those large round cooling towers at power plants. Originally it was the visual center point of Prager Strasse in Dresden, but today it is unfortunately hidden behind some other buildings. It is relatively well known by expats in Dresden, because it is the only place that shows almost all movies in English as well as German. Ohh, and there is the modern Kristallpalast cinema right next to the Rundkino of which the owners are awfully proud. But it only rarely shows movies in English, so it doesn't count. Prager Strasse in Dresden is worth some research if you are into 20th century architecture and city planning.

[@atraindriver]

@@rcajavus8141 What on earth are you wibbling about?

[@shitlordflytrap1078]

It's nice of you to visit Česko, hope you've had plenty of fun. To add my two cents of speculation on why Novotný approved the building, the Communists had a thing for impressive/ostentatious looking construction projects. "Building socialism" was a phrase you'd hear a lot in propaganda pieces. You could translate the term for it as 'Constructionism' . The new Czechoslovakian proletariat was building a brighter utopian future, and that meant building, building and building (until the state ran out of money, oops). This also included blowing up a bunch of perfectly salvagable buildings (see Ústí nad Labem after WWII), building the largest Stalin monument on the planet only to tear it down less than 10 years later (overlooking Prague on Letenská pláň), and ramming a 3-lane dual carriageway directly through Prague's city center. Because cars are freedom... So it's not out of the ordinary that they'd approve a bizarre and impressive looking building like our Liberecký vysílač. I can at least say that some of those projects ended up being interesting and not just horrendous wastes of concrete.

[@danopticon]

It’s actually not so dissimilar to what occurred in Brazil under their most ruthless, murderous dictatorship: Eager to fulfill the promise of becoming the world’s third superpower (as many people believed, pre-dictatorship, Brazil had been destined to become), the same thugs who murdered journalists and dissidents and labor leaders and scores of ordinary citizens approved all sorts of utopian architecture - even a whole planned city built around modernist principles - as a way of telling the world, “Hey, don’t believe what your lying eyes and ears are telling you … we’re the good guys! Look at all our swoop-y buildings!” It’s also worth noting that dictatorships don’t seek citizen input or follow zoning commission recommendations or take democratic votes or even conduct cost/benefit analyses of their big bombastic projects: the dictator just gets an idea stuck in their head, murders whoever stands opposed to it, executes the idea (no pun intended), and if the costs run over budget (as they often do, when every contractor is a friend or a cousin of the dictator’s), well, you just rob a little more from the poor. Latin America is riddled with quite interesting, extravagant buildings from the decades in which the U.S.A. and the C.I.A.-run School of the Americas were fomenting coups and then installing murderous but U.S.-friendly dictators in every other country … and those buildings are often surrounded by favelas, and built - literally - over the bones of the _desaparecidos._ Or heck, look at what the ruthless monarchies of Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. are doing today … with slave labor, and displacing nomadic encampments, while murdering a few protesters and then “disappearing” them: building spectacular, extravagant, bottomless money-sinks! Different time and region, same tune. That said, these landmarks _are_ quite often very beautiful - even brilliant - architecturally and functionally. But as o.p. wrote above, they were often built as p.r. exercises, and it’s pretty easy to build anything if you don’t have to ask anyone’s permission … and if you have the state’s coffers - and perhaps even a patron superpower - propping up your ambitions, then your budget is almost unlimited. Heck - if you got the population’s permission first, and it benefited them, and you didn’t murder anyone along the way, building stuff like this could even be … noble! 🤷‍♂️

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@danopticon ​ Your last sentence there is what I think is particularly interesting about Ještěd. As you've both pointed out, it's not exactly unusual for governments (communist or otherwise!) to build ostentatious projects and foist them on the public. What makes Ještěd unusual compared to other grand projects of the communist era - and this is the more nuanced point I was trying to make in the video - is that it had popular support from the public, and only grudging support from the government. While it's possible that Novotný genuinely liked it, I'm pretty sure Husák didn't.

[@Ragnar8504]

Let's not forget a motorway bridge from hill to hill high above the rooftops of a quaint little neighbourhood of Prague. Honestly, garish urban motorway projects could be found all across the world though, particularly in the very much not-communist US. Those ideas of casting a better future into brick and concrete was also highly popular among social-democrats in the 1920s and 30s, even to the point of using a new style of homes to create a new, better citizen.

[@shitlordflytrap1078]

@@TheTimTraveller it must be said that during the era, many people earnestly believed in this brighter communist future. It was only later on that disillusionment came and the authoritarianism truly set in. Czechoslovakia was never as ruthless a dictatorship as Brazil, but political freedoms were eroded through the 50s and 60s (post 1948 revolution) and by the time people started to realise what was happening, the invasion happened.

[@Agnes.Nutter]

@@shitlordflytrap1078 Thank you for the insight, Shitlord Flytrap!

[@aleasenigel9517]

Something to keep in mind for future visits: the cablecar that runs right to the base of the hotel is currently not operating, because of a catastrophic failure that happened like a year back. However, it has been decided that the cable car will be repaired and extended to that tram station at the start of the video. So getting there in the future will be way easier!

[@L4wr3nc3810]

Unfortunately the new cable car wont retain its original design

[@woodendoorgarage]

@@L4wr3nc3810 It is unfortunate but getting modern safety on the old cable car system would be pretty much impossible and designing new system that looks like the old one would be super expensive. It is much more affordable to buy standardized setup from someone like Poma or CWA with proven reliability, maintenance and spare parts.

[@el_dani]

What was the catastrophic failure, was it like in Stresa-Mottarone?

[@woodendoorgarage]

@@el_dani Very similar. Haulage cable snapped. These cabins had only manual safety. The cabin with 13 passengers and conductor stopped after he pulled the emergency brake. No physical injuries. Unfortunately the second cabin with only the conductor crashed and he did not survive. I think it is still under investigation but preliminary results stated that the brakes worked but were not activated. He may be knocked over by the sudden acceleration and unable to pull the emergency brake in time. It was fairly old system built in 1975 and did not receive modernization that would add automatic safeties that are present on modern cable cars.

[@petrberanek4230]

Exactly same situation as in Italy, where emergency brakes were disabled (stupid technician said he would not disable brakes if he knew cable can snap - thats why there is emergency brake in first place). Manual emergency brake is another "good idea", on video from Italy everyone can see the impact on the cabin, when cable snapped - everybody was lying on the floor after impact. It just luck that cabin with more people was able to be stopped, only few meters before crashing into station. That is why new cable car will be built in 3 years, with higher capacity. Old gondola with just two cabins have very limited capacity per hour. People were waiting up to 1 hours for the old cable car.

[@quuaaarrrk8056]

I am truly impressed by Tims physical abilities. Not only is he capable of montaging up a snowy mountain with ease, he can even calmly tell stories while doing so.

[@albevanhanoy]

Some haters will tell you that it's all post-editing for the video, but deep down we all know the truth

[@neoleo593]

he is an EXTREMLY accomplished mountain climber

[@captainevenslower4400]

I mean he singlehandedly climbed the highest mountains of quite a lot of countries. Belgium and Denmark only to name a few. So I guess you could say climbing is his thing.

[@ToolkiT73UK]

​@@captainevenslower4400 let's not forget the Netherlands!

[@Zraknul]

And what's climbing in the Czech Republic without Adam Ondra? Crossover missed.

[@ColinH1973]

Finally!! I have been somewhere before you Tim!! I stayed in this hotel 5 years ago and I loved it. Thanks for the good memories.

[@martinconnelly1473]

I stayed there for one night in August 2019

[@mta04cji]

The 'Grand Designs' theme is so incredibly appropriate. Will the unique design and unusual location lead to problems part-way through the project? Of course they will.

[@SportyMabamba]

Down your drink each time the Grand Design person has to increase / exceed their budget

[@CX103]

@@SportyMabambaAre you trying to turn me into an alcoholic?

[@SportyMabamba]

@@CX103 come on in the booze is lovely _hic_ 🥴

[@Attoparsec]

Drink when Kevin is worried that there won't be enough light in some of the rooms!

[@falsemcnuggethope]

Thank you so much for posting. I was trying to find what it was. I would've never found it since I don't even know the show. At first listen, I thought it was Mad World by Gary Jules, probably because of the Cm -> F progression (Fm -> Bb in Mad World). I went back to listen to Mad World to confirm my misidentification and it was immediately obvious that I was wrong. "But what the heck is it then", I asked. The closest thing I was able to find before reverting back to this comment section was Nice Day by Persephone's Bees, which was still quite far from the correct tune, but not an unfortunate step in the wrong path.

[@SignalStealer]

"A od kdy mluvíš anglicky?" -- "Since when do you speak english?" You totally got me there 😁 Thanks for visiting this gem. I know there are heaps more in Czechia. Like the church where they exhumed the remains of lots of deceased since they could not fit in the cemetery anymore, and turned them into an interior decoration.

[@Darwinek]

Are you referring to the Sedlec Ossuary in Kutná Hora?

[@SignalStealer]

@@Darwinek Yes!

[@Darwinek]

@@SignalStealer Yes, those are the bones of thousands of people who died during the plague, and those killed by the Hussites, the medieval Protestant version of ISIS.

[@althejazzman]

Thanks for the translation. I was wondering what the joke was there.

[@jiribatysta87]

He killed 16 Czechoslovakians, he was an interior decorator.

[@SamAronow]

I'll note this isn't your first hotel review; have we so easily forgotten the Monte Palace?

[@TheTimTraveller]

And the Hotel Arbez! But it's been a while :)

[@darryshan]

Hah! Fancy seeing you here :D !חג פסח שמח

[@seanolaocha940]

@@TheTimTraveller Now that you're branching into hotel reviews, have you considered making videos about different sports too?

[@richard-mtl]

@@TheTimTraveller I shared Hotel Arbez with my family just yesterday! So it hasn't been that long for me, ha!

[@Bevalderon]

​@@seanolaocha940 oh, no no no no no

[@jkarhiaho]

Using a piano cover of the Grand Designs theme when showing the hotel is a nice touch as was the Bond theme. There's clearly attention put towards the little details in your videos. And also another fascinating place that is worth learning about. Keep up the good work of introducing all sorts of interesting places to us

[@frontenac5083]

Well done you, you recognised a famous tune from the TV. Do you need a medal?

[@varana]

@@frontenac5083 I'll give them one.

[@ChakatSandwalker]

Aha, thank you! I was racking my brain trying to remember where I'd heard that theme before; it's been a few years since I last saw Grand Designs UK.

[@seanto6363]

I also liked the use of Summer Holiday by Cliff Richard when showing the hotels the Czech go on holiday to.

[@indiebekonn]

Also the piano version of a Firestarter when talking about the old hotel was brilliant.

[@jankbt]

As a Czech from Liberec living in Luxembourg, I was already happy with your video on three highest mountains of Luxembourg. But this blew my mind!! When I was a kid, we’re regularly climbing up under the cable car (not in winter). I remember my father claimed once that Jested was stolen, because we couldn’t see it. I believed it and I was so upset all the way up…and relieved when we got like 100m close and I saw it’s still there 😂 Thanks for the amazing content, Tim!

[@4tbf616]

Jane Lucemburský, jste to vy!?

[@Maliceless100]

Your Dad sounds hilarious - my kind of guy. . .

[@deborahdavis6801]

Such a dad thing to do!!

[@bernard832]

Technically, the Perret Prize isn't the Olympic Gold Medal for Architecture, the Olympic Gold Medal for Architecture is the Olympic Gold Medal for Architecture. The Olympics included art competitions between 1912 and 1948 for architecture, literature, music, painting, and sculpture.

[@andershansson2245]

Proper pedantry for this channel, cheers!

[@imightbebiased9311]

I'm happy to see I wasn't the only one who knew this stupid bit of Olympic history. I created a character in an RPG session once who was a disgruntled silver medalist in architecture, and was determined to bring home the gold.

[@ThroughStatic]

​@@imightbebiased9311 and did he win?

[@lionellerner]

As someone who doesn't live in Europe, every time I get the chance to travel I end up in the mainstream places, that's why I love you showing us the b-side tourism I would only have the chance to visit if I lived there.

[@qzg7857]

Why? Ther are flights to prague from almost everywhere and You can take a train to Liberec or Bus... You can even go from Wrocław in Poland

[@lionellerner]

​@@qzg7857 Because I'm Argentinian and we poor. When I do get to travel to another continent I never have time for visiting every side-b attraction there is. I might be able to do that here in South America... but we don't have as many quaint places, the countries are bigger, the population is lower, the cities aren't as old. So that's why I love Tim showing me things I find cute or interesting, but I wouldn't get to meet unless I move there, or have enough money to travel there often.

[@tavela]

@@lionellerner Just adding that us, the United Tim Fans of Latin America, are looking forward to have Tim exploring the region

[@lionellerner]

@@tavela very much so! we can even point him to the most Tim places

[@LuPoj]

I cannot stress enough how creatively Tim uses music in his videos. Piano rendition of Firestarter when talking about a blowtorch mishap made me giggle like a lunatic. I love it.

[@ToolkiT73UK]

This is why I read the comments and watch the vids again as always there are Easter eggs I missed first time :)

[@8Paul7]

wow completely missed that. What an amazing easter egg

[@TedShatner10]

I can't get enough of their rendition of the BBC Panaroma themetune.

[@johncrwarner]

Your "blopper" reel at the end reminded me of my first trip on the Bernina Express which we did on a foggy day and had a pre-recorded guide in four languages telling us about the wonderful views we couldn't see We had one metre visibility over the highest point.

[@Daijyobanai]

It's not quite on par with Shakespeare's sonnets, but it'll do for youtube.

[@Dr.K.Wette_BE]

9:00 "Reinforced windows from Belgium" Just a second, I worked for that company for eight years ! 😅 Amazing !

[@Pethrenne]

It also started the trend of futuristic buildings in the Sudetes, including the Praded Tower and Śnieżka Observatory. If you want to visit more mountains while you're at it, consider seeing the others.

[@bluwurbinx]

This!

[@eily_b]

I hope he sees this. Leaving a comment to make this going up in relevance

[@albevanhanoy]

That transition to minor key in the intro was EPIC

[@notthemusewere]

More than minor key...the Bond Chord progression!

[@kikokusy9974]

Dropping in to say something as a citizen of what was before Czechoslovakia (now is just Slovakia). I, personally, did not grow up during the regime. My parents and grandparents, however, did and they also told me a lot about what life was like during Husák's rule. The one thing I felt was a bit inaccurate and not already addressed was the part where you showed the "average Czechoslovak population being used to one type of hotel suddenly seeing this beautiful hotel". From what my parents told me, these types of extravagant, luxurious hotels were often not for the general populace but instead hosted foreigners (such as diplomats) or the government elite (the ones more equal than the others) on their much more luxurious holidays. The average Czechoslovak still had to endure hotels that looked the same as their house.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Hi - great point, and this is one of the reasons why I started that part of the video with a warning that I was generalising and simplifying things :) I suspect you are right that the people visiting this hotel in the 70s would have been more privileged than the average person. But to be fair, I think even the privileged people would have been surprised when they saw this place for the first time...

[@Cvokarium]

@@TheTimTraveller In case of Jested... it is true that common people didn't stay at the hotel, but we used to visit Jested basically each time we stayed near Liberec, so we definitely had a chance to admire it. ;-)

[@TheTimTraveller]

@@Cvokarium haha I bet! Were you able to go inside as well, or were you just admiring from the outside?

[@lynth]

The overwhelming majority of people who lived under communism loved communism, wanted to conserve communism, and even want communism back today (the few who are still alive). Unfortunately, only anti-communists are ever given a voice by the propaganda regimes that took over after the illegal and anti-democratic dissolution of the USSR. Most people who lived "under the regime" also understand that practically all problems of "the regime" were caused by foreign fascist aggression. The only people in former socialist countries who oppose socialism are either young people who never lived under communism and are affected by Western capitalist propaganda lies... or old people who were part of the bourgeoisie before socialism (or are naive enough to hope they will become part of the bourgeoisie after socialism in case they act as collaborators of the West). That's also why fascists like the Nazis and Americans did everything in their power to restrict socialist countries' ability to trade and develop peacefully. Socialism - if left unchecked - will always outcompete capitalism. The world is slowly waking up to the fact that the anti-democratic capitalist West is at fault for most of the world's ills and that socialism was always the superior system. That's why the US is doubling down on its propaganda and wars and even intends to start a World War against China. I doubt the fascists will win another time. Everyone outside the West realizes that Western systems are monumental failures and that capitalism (particularly in the form of US imperialism) is a disease and that China's highly democratic and progressive and - most importantly - peaceful model is far better suited to develop human society.

[@Cvokarium]

@@TheTimTraveller I believe the restaurant was open to public, as long as it was usable. Which wasn't always the case. 😀

[@KhakiCap]

I did not expect to see this video when arriving at home (or at least today). I'm glad you covered Ještěd, the history and the hotel. I've never been in the hotel rooms personally, so It's amazing to see them from the video. Thanks from Liberec.

[@MrSman147]

It's great seeing a video from my country, greetings from Czechia😃❤

[@albevanhanoy]

Love Czechia from France 🇫🇷❤️🇨🇿

[@JurgenErhard]

@@albevanhanoy Love both Czechia and France from the one in-between, Germany. ;-)

[@rin_etoware_2989]

i didn't expect to yell "HELL YEA DAMPERS" midway through this video, but here we are

[@vanwesthuizen7427]

Oh Boy this is exciting! I‘ve actually been on top of the Ještěd in summer 2019. The father of a friend works for the Czech telecommunication infrastructure Organisation and has access to every important transmission tower in Czechia. It was completely unplanned and we felt really lucky not only driving to the summit by car but also climbing the ladder to the unaccessible platform at the very top. It was really interesting to see the radio transmitters and different antennas underneath the white membrane. The Dad told us, that sometimes in winter they had accidents by Ice falling down and shattering hotel windows underneath. And the views from the very top were amazing! You’re able to see Sněžka, Germany and even Milešovka. Thanks for the interesting video, really loved it and didn’t expect to see it once on KZbin. :)

[@millennialchicken]

I wish architecture was like this nowadays. The world would look cooler, but that's about it really.

[@matsv201]

They still are. But they are also still as rare.

[@chubbymoth5810]

There is plenty of cool architecture going on. But it isn't everywhere. Projects like this are rare in any case, but once something is built, it takes a lot of time to replace it if functional. Europe and the wider world are full of ancient cities that maintained functionality of buildings for centuries. Eventually the worth of a building is based on functionality.

[@jaredbowhay-pringle1460]

Not sure I want to live in a world of 1960s and 70s architecture

[@SlackActionBumble]

@@jaredbowhay-pringle1460 as long as it's over the top spacey stuff and not brutalism, sign me right up.

[@hjalfi]

London's got some great spacey buildings --- the Glass Gherkin and the Walkie Talkie (which was briefly famous for melting cars parked nearby) are worth a look. The Shard is okay too, but less interesting; it is pleasingly reminiscent of the Combine Citadel from Half-Life.

[@Meg_A_Byte]

Great video, very well edited! Can we expect more videos from Czechia? That would make me really happy.

[@Jayfive276]

Liberec is an hour and about 3 euros on the bus from Prague and the beer is like half the price :) Source: I have family there and I can see Ještěd from their living room window.

[@hebijirik]

I am Czech, although pretty much from the opposite end of the country, and I learned some details I did not know about it. So thanks for the great video.

[@Darwinek]

Loved the video, Tim! I am glad you visited my country. A little bit of Ještěd background from me. The first building atop the mountain was a mountain hut built by the Hasler family in the 19th century. Then, as you mentioned, the grand hotel called Jeschkenhaus was built by Ernst Schäfer, a notable architect from Reichenberg (Liberec), and opened in 1907. It belonged to the Deutscher Gebirgsverein (German Mountain Association). After World War II, the local German population was expelled, and the hotel witnessed rather insensitive modifications afterwards. In January 1963, it completely burned down during the "accident" you mentioned. Unsurprisingly and conveniently enough, the adjacent Hasler mountain hut burned down completely a year later when someone was defrosting ... clothes. In communist Czechoslovakia, dozens of German mountain huts burned down under suspicious circumstances, only to be replaced by ugly concrete blocks, or not replaced at all.

[@automotivetales]

Love the bond references in the music 😊

[@matsv201]

I thought it was the tune from grand designes

[@chrisoddy8744]

Mission Impossible is also in there somewhere

[@ambergris5705]

I think this building is a rare perfect storm of an original architectural idea, positive public reception, technical achievement, and historical significance. It's quite worth salvaging, and it looks like there's still some space left to build some more amenities like a gym or a pool adjacent to the original building. Thanks for doing a slightly longer video than usual, it really was worth it! Quite good, as yer mate Andrew would platonically say.

[@mallenwho]

This is the best video you've ever done! The pacing, the gags, the sheer number of piano soundtrack homages, and the incredible story of an incredible location. Even the idea of climbing a real mountain and being knackered! Well done Tim!

[@RenzeKoper]

I absolutely love the grand designs music in the background

[@jirkavebr-czmapper8059]

I really didn't expect video from my Country. I really enjoyed it

[@TheJhtlag]

I think you've just won my "I'll be darned," "learned something new" and the interesting post of the day awards. Totally had forgotten the name Dubcek.

[@minor_edit]

You put those words in Andrew's mouth. He wasn't ready to commit to such unbridled enthusiasm! Now every other understatement will look slightly too understated by comparison.

[@CaritasGothKaraoke]

Whenever you show it from a distance it makes me think of the view spinward or antispinward on a ringworld.

[@gordonmcmillan4709]

Or Discworld

[@jillianb1744]

Congratulations on your actual mountain climb! (If I ever climb another mountain, I hope there’s also a bar/restaurant at the top!)

[@nitehawk86]

Or a hotel so I can take a nap when I reach the top :)

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

How dare you imply that those hills in the Netherlands and Denmark weren't "actual" mountains?

[@sandervdbrink84]

I'm waiting for the official Tim Traveller Background Music Bingo card!

[@MartinJahn]

What have you done? You visited the most famous place in the region (north Czechia) and you climbed a real mountain. Great work with the pronunciation and with capturing Ještěd from far away. Locals say it's a miracle.

[@creepermk]

That Tram is absolutely gorgeous! Sadly not here to see any of that :D Beautiful Intro variation by the way!

[@alexsuykov]

Tatra T3. Czech-made, produced since early 60s and widely used all over the eastern bloc.

[@Vojtaniz01]

The Tatra T3 tram, produced in Smíchov, Prague. About 15000 of them were produced, which is the most of any tram type in the world. The production started in 1962, and modernized versions of this tram are still in service in many cities, including Prague and Liberec.

[@creepermk]

Thank you for your insights :)

[@9696gamer]

I live in the border region to Czechia in Germany and I can actually see Jested at certain points with the right weather conditions. I think I've only been up there once when I was young but I still appreciate the magnificence of this building, even from afar. Good video!

[@564mario]

OOOOOHHHH YEEEAAHH!! You made a video about my most favourite mountain/ building. THANK YOU 😄😄😄 The shape of the transmission tower picks up on the shape of the mountain and completes it - that's what I think is another great thing about this mountain and building. You can see it from far away, when you get closer to Liberec (but with no fog and stuff..) Important for visitors: you can come up there without visiting the hotel, but the fancy but not so expensive restaurant. There is a kind of hallway with benches and tables, where you can sit, chill and have your lunch.

[@marketamachalkova98]

Yayyyy, such a great surprise to see you show Ještěd here, thank you for featuring Czech Republic. I watched so many of your other amazing videos, slowly getting to the most recent ones. Loving every one of them, and your sense of humor! I started pinning some of the places for future visits. Díky!

[@xliquidflames]

I wish all your videos were this long. This was fascinating to learn about. Thanks for all the effort of putting it together.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Haha thank you! Making this video took me nearly a month and almost drove me mad, so I can't do it every time, but it's nice to hear it was worth it on this occasion :)

[@RobinRense]

Ya I know that thing! My girl and I went interrailing through Czech Republic last summer and we read about this building. We didn't visit it though, as it was not on our Czechlist 😇

[@GernickKuik]

That was a spectacular view in the final shot. Another excelent video, thanks TIm!

[@webspy2]

FYI if you are feeling adventurous, on bike 🚴 it is about 5 hours from Prague, the round trip is around 250 km. The beer tastes really good after conquering the steep hill! 🍺 Thanks coming to Czechia! 🇨🇿

[@57thorns]

The fact that you actually climbed a mountain (and did not just get a taxi) is impressive.

[@57thorns]

Also, i checked Google Maps, they claim it is a one hour walk spanning almost 500 meter in height from the tram stop.

[@TheTimTraveller]

Thank you :) One hour is about right in summer, but in my experience, it takes a little longer in winter conditions, and longer still if you're stopping every five minutes to get a shot for a montage :)

[@Cjertisko]

@@TheTimTraveller you could use a ski lift to go to the top and than walk along the ridge. Honestly, I admire your courage going along the road to the top. Luckily, as it is now being repaired from the other side, the traffic is very low.

[@duncan1234]

@@TheTimTraveller I'm going to remember this... Next time I'm puffing up a hill in an unfit state, I'm going to tell my wife that I'm "getting a shot for the montage".

[@chanterelle483]

It's not that high of a mountain.

[@geobugseon]

that video is so cool! the story, the background, the footage and of course the presentation. Honestly this deserves some kind of award. So I'm giving you one. This is an extremely good video!

[@AnyoneCanSee]

Brilliant! I loved "Firestarter" in the background when talking about the original fire. My memory is of you and Andrew reaching the roof and the mind-blowing view and Andrew saying it reminded him of the Hexagon in Reading.

[@POTThaesslich]

and the grand design theme at the end!

[@as-tm7np]

i was wondering why it seems so familiar

[@AnyoneCanSee]

@@as-tm7np - He does it in many videos and picking them out is always good for a giggle. The ones that pop to mind are "Going Underground" by The Jam in the Paris Underground videos. "The Riverboat Song" and "The Day We Caught the Train" by Ocean Colour Scene - in the ones about the riverboat and - too many train videos to be sure which one.

[@as-tm7np]

@@AnyoneCanSee I actually meant about the Hexagon, but I've also noticed his music choices. Often very frustrating when I can't place the tune - I'm sure if I wasn't British most of the references would go right over my head

[@paulmayhook8755]

what about the Fawlty Towers theme when talking about the .. faulty tower (wobbling in the wind)

[@robbaskerville253]

Ok, this is my favourite Tim Traveller yet. What an amazing view.

[@Jasper_S]

Tim, thank you again for putting this gem and its view on the map! We visited it last tuesday (because of your video) and it was way more impressive than i'd ever thought something like this would be! The climb to the top was so much fun, and the views are just astonishing! Thank you for the amazing day! :D

[@RobertSailing]

Thank You Tim for always taking us to such interesting places!

[@nitehawk86]

And such tall places!

[@laurentgully267]

Amazing 🤩 this place will definitely go on my list of places to see one day, thank you Tim!

[@fixcz]

I was kindly surprised when I saw the title of this video. Didn't expect this at all. Great to see you in my home country and congratulations on climbing the highest mountain on this channel so far. I'm glad it was in Czechia. Thank you for this video. Even though I visited Ještěd several times and knew something about it, I learned a few new things now :).

[@mojeminifilmy1973]

Amazing video! Didn't expect to see one about Ještěd, but I was positively surprised!

[@firesurfer]

1 bonus internet point for using accent marks in a comment, and minus 1 internet point for using accent marks in English. (accent marks are lost when using English). No exemption for proper nouns. :)

[@stepanbeny]

One Czech architectural critic says of Ještěd that Hubáček created the world's peakiest mountain with his design. I think that is undoubtedly true :D

[@hunyesmith03]

I love Czech, my girlfriend back when I was straight (lol) was from Czech and we went there while on a break from college and travelled around the country a bit, amazing trip TBH.

[@jarekweckwerth1390]

This was the BEST episode for quite some time; which is a lot to say because all episodes are excellent. Much fun was had!

[@litaveccz]

Novotny has not been so to speak "as hard" communist as those before and mostly after him. He for example rehabilitated most (if not all) of politically inprisoned people (inprisoned in 50s). It wouln't surprise me if his approval of the hotel had something to do with it's placement in Sudets as he was imprisoned in concentration camp Mauthausen-Gusen by the nazis and previous hotel was actually german. But that's pure speculation by my part.

[@kwikycz]

I visited this place a few years ago when the cable car was still functional, in summer theres a realy beutiful views when the weather is good. Its sad that not enough tourist know about this place (and Liberec itself) but that aplies for most of the country, there is so much to visit, but most of the tourist stays only in Prague

[@firesurfer]

''anough''?

[@kwikycz]

@@firesurfer fixed, I hate dysgraphia, I can't see my mistakes very often XD

[@krzysztofj1993]

Thank you for perfectly narrated, as always, good story. I find your vlogs to be one of the best to be ever found on the net.

[@czechmeoutbabe1997]

This is a phenomenal video, I really appreciate the respect and attention you gave to something that is otherwise quite underrated imo. Though I'm not from Liberec, I'm from a mountain town right next to it (Harrachov), and it's really special seeing someone uncover the regional history.

[@MikeGill87]

Yay, finally a trip to my home country. Welcome, even though you're probably long gone.

[@joestrike8537]

This is the first I've seen of one of your videos - and it was delightful!😄I've watched a lot of personally-created and personality-driven videos; sometimes there's no personality on display at all, sometime the creator tries WAY too hard to craft an offbeat persona that just comes across as grating, sometimes just being quiet and thoughtful works nicely...but you really hit the sweet spot of being witty, engaging and informative all at once. (Not to mention visually creative and fun to watch.) I plan to watch more of your videos - and maybe start posting video reviews of other peoples' videos (until someone starts reviewing my videos, that is.😛)

[@WarhorseStudios]

Quite good video! Glad you came over to Czech Republic for a visit. :)

[@northwall9243]

Great video Tim! Lovely building i'd never heard of and love the historical breakdown

[@Failrue]

Great stuff! By the way, Liberec is also one of the few cities with an intercity tram line (from Liberec to Jablonec)

[@beth12svist]

I think it's the only one in Czechia, right? The only thing I can think of that may come close inside Czechia is the tram line from Brno to Modřice, where Modřice proudly remain a separate small town (which I think continues to catch some people unawares, when it comes to ticket tariffs 😂).

[@Failrue]

@@beth12svist Yeah, I guess it is the only one where both places have similar importance. But Ostrava actually beats Brno with their line from Poruba to Budišovice :D

[@beth12svist]

@@Failrue Ah, I'm not familiar with Ostrava. I think I did have a vague feeling there was something like that there, too, though - I think I saw a video years ago and it kind of stuck in the back of my head. :-)

[@czechian]

@@beth12svist There's also one between Most and Litvínov

[@Whereswally606]

This is now on my must visit list. Also my name is also Andrew and a lot of those times where you ask yout friend questions i feel you are metaphorically breaking the fourth wall even though your documentaryesque style is doing that constantly anyway. Loved the piano bond theme too.

[@daandanx]

5:46 You did it again. The effort put into the hidden song references shall not go unnoticed

[@frontenac5083]

Well done you, you recognised a famous tune from the TV. Do you need a medal?

[@WilliamHatcherwillwac]

One of my favorite KZbin channels! Thank you.

[@littlefox2546]

Finally in Czech Republic, welcome ♥️

[@xCPTxNEMO]

That truly is a grand design, thanks for the vid.

[@mickho7910]

Excellent video - very much enjoyed the graphics and side commentary. Now I want to go to the hotel Jested!

[@PetertheRock.]

This is truly AMAZING! Possibly the most fun created on a KZbin video this side of Christmas! Well donde Tim!

[@recurvestickerdragon]

On first seeing the windows in the hotel rooms, i got instant starfleet vibes and now want to go there with my nerdy friends. (Of course, added to a list of European things we want to go to, do, or see. Hopefully once the list reaches sufficient size, it'll be great evidence we should make a trip, and draw up plans)

[@TrevorMoses312]

Welcome back, Andrew 🙂

[@malteplath]

Another unexpected sight you made me want to visit! Very well put together video - as always.

[@user-tt5xj5ib1e]

Thank you for taking us along, it's such a beautiful building, with a 'quite good view' :) 😍😆😍

[@mikosoft]

I was born in Czechoslovakia (in the Slovak part and only 6 years before the split but still, it counts!) and I had no idea this existed. So here I am learning stuff about the country I neighbor with my whole life from a British bloke. On a side note I noticed you usually have pretty good pronunciation of non English words (at least in languages I speak, that is German). But your Czech was very British. Especially the names "Novotný" and "Alexander" sounded distinctly British. But a plus for effort, it's just something I noticed as somebody fluent in Czech. (Also plus for correctly using all the accented letters).

[@666Tomato666]

For a native English speaker, the pronunciation was quite impressive.

[@Pilifo006]

I'm also Slovak and have never heard of the Jested hotel until I met my girlfriend (now wife) who's from Liberec. Well, fast forward 7 years later and now I live near Liberec and ride my bike to the top of the Jested mountain at least 3 times a year and ski there several days every winter 😃

[@pomx89]

12:30 a quiet good view, haha^^

[@TheBoleynLegacy]

Your videos are truly magical, always such a joy to watch

[@janhutar3164]

Oh my god! Thank you so much for visiting my country!! So amazing video, hoped you enjoyed your visit.

[@kelvinc]

Andrew is Tim’s official mountaintop abandoned (or formerly abandoned) hotel guy.

[@thesteelrodent1796]

love the look of this building, and can't help think it'd be a great feature for a retro James Bond movie. As for the bathroom situation in the hotel, it's completely normal for 1960s (and older) hotels to not have private bathrooms, especially if they were not built as luxury hotels. This fancy thing with every room having their own bathroom didn't become the norm till the 1980s in most of Europe

[@ilaser4064]

Great episode. That ultra smooth transition into the bond inspired theme was very nice!

[@TreeCutterDoug]

What a hotel! I love the styling, and the setting is pretty incredible. Thanks for the dive into it!

[@forfoxsake7972]

I just cannot get enough of your humor 😂😂

[@skeletorhig]

I cycled past this place while doing the first leg of the Oder-Nieße Radweg, last autumn. From far away it looked like a very sturdy TV tower- I had no idea a whole hotel would fit in there! Amazing!

[@stepheneyles2198]

What an amazing place!! Thanks for the entertaining and fact-filled video, Tim! All we need now is to get RingwayManchester over there to make a video explaining all the transmittery things on the hotel - and I bet he's never stayed in a transmitter tower before either!

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

"1012 meters. In a rare moment for this channel, we've climbed an actual mountain" Me, living on the west coast North america: "lol that's a hill"

[@ruzzaruzza]

All Tim's subscribers from Czechia give here a thumbs up!

[@ruzzaruzza]

I am from Liberec. 💌💌💌

[@aceade]

Is it just me, or did I hear the Mission Impossible theme on piano in the background during the trek up the mountain?

[@WildRover1964]

you sure did

[@hugobouma]

On this channel, pretty much any bit of music references _something._ About half of the time it's some British TV show but here we also got the James Bond theme, as well as _Firestarter_ by The Prodigy.

[@WildRover1964]

@@hugobouma there was also Summer Holiday and I'd llove to know what the choon was at 6:45

[@HistoryNeedsYou]

Amazing place! Thank you so much for discovering and sharing it!

[@douba123456]

Thanks for this video from my home country. I climed the Ještěd last year and this is a place everyone should visit. Highly recomended!

[@SoltiMusic]

2:50 wrong bass-note in the chord (It should be a D-flat, not E-flat). Otherwise great video! 😊