Architect Jan Bek's Czech mountain apartments underperform Prague

Architect Jan Bek, founder of the studio BekArch, has completed 2Peaks in the Ore Mountains — a two-building complex of six apartments with views of Klínovec and Fichtelberg. Construction cost in the tens of millions of crowns, and a year into operation, Bek admits that managing mountain property has proven harder and less profitable than managing property in Prague.

The project's story began in 2020, when a friend of the architect's suggested buying one of the last available plots in the village of Loučná pod Klínovcem — with views of both peaks that gave the project its name. Design and permitting took more than two years, construction began in 2023 and was completed in the summer of 2025.

Instead of one massive mountain villa, the result is a twin house that fits into the tradition of Ore Mountains architecture: six apartments of 103–110 square metres, laid out as 3+kk units, with an underground level holding garages, shared areas, and bike and ski rooms. The Siberian larch façade is complemented by metal and gabions at the base and a standing-seam roof on top — the harsh climate and strong winds meant shutters had to be abandoned in favour of large-format thermal glazing.

For Bek, real estate is not just an architectural story but an entrepreneurial one: through LB Estate, a company he co-owns with a friend, he already holds several properties, including a converted former bakery in Prague's Vršovice district and property in Karlovy Vary. But 2Peaks is the project he has devoted the most personal attention to — he regularly travels there with his family and can test the apartments like an ordinary guest.

The first year of operation showed the architect that managing mountain housing differs from managing it in the city. The main problem is service logistics: in Prague it is easy to find cleaning or laundry services, while in the mountains there are fewer providers, and coordinating them falls on the manager. “You can build the most beautiful apartments under the sun, but if the service and management fall short, the project suffers,” Bek says.

The second challenge is seasonality. January and February are the strongest months, March can unexpectedly dip in occupancy, and Bek calls April a virtually dead season. Demand picks up again in summer, when about 90% of 2Peaks' guests are foreigners, mostly Germans. It is summer, the architect says, that best reveals the place's potential — instead of crowded slopes, there are quiet trails for hiking, running and cycling.