Liblice masts near Prague: last days before demolition in Czechia

Two red-and-white steel masts, 355 metres tall, adorn the skyline near Liblice in Central Bohemia. It is the tallest structure in Czechia: 25 metres taller than the Eiffel Tower, and visible from many kilometres away. Before it is demolished, longtime fans and tourists hearing about it for the first time are coming to say goodbye.

Small crowds have been gathering in recent days at a makeshift car park by a field next to the transmitter. “We are from Český Brod, and I watched these two towers from my window for decades, by day and by night with a red glow around them. My children were crying over the demolition in advance, when it was decided, and I'm close to tears myself,” Aleš, a native of the town about three kilometres from the masts, told Novinky.

Some of those present admitted they had heard of the structure for the first time only because of the media attention in recent weeks and wanted to see it with their own eyes. At night that is no longer possible: Liblice B last lit up on the night of 12 to 13 October. At eight in the morning, the removal of the lights began, so that no glass shards would be left around after the masts fall.

Thrill-seekers are climbing the masts

The disappearance of the masts evokes more than nostalgia. Adrenaline fans realised it was their last chance to do something reckless and began climbing the masts. On Tuesday, Josef Konka also trespassed on the transmitter grounds and climbed a mast. He told Metro.cz it was a spontaneous idea; he had not known the fine would be 10,000 crowns, but he has already paid it.

Successor to the First Republic transmitters

The two masts at Liblice were erected in 1975–1976 and put into operation in the same year. But they were not the first radio masts in the area, as their full name, Liblice B, suggests. Back in 1929–1931, two 150-metre towers, Liblice A, were built nearby for radio. They were blown up in 2004.

The masts served radio broadcasting, albeit for various stations, until 2025. After that they had no use, no new interested party was found, and the necessary maintenance alone, together with required repairs, would reportedly have cost more than 100 million crowns next year. After Liblice B is demolished, the tallest structure in Czechia will be the Krašov transmitter in the Plzeň Region, at 347.5 metres.

Read also: 9 Prague viewpoints where the city of red roofs is spread out like on the palm of your hand

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz