--- title: "Libušín at Pustevny: Jurkovič's Art Nouveau dining hall" description: "Discover Libušín at Pustevny, Dušan Jurkovič's masterpiece: its painted decoration, the 2014 fire and the reconstruction completed in 2020." url: "https://zpusteven.cz/en/libusin" lang: "en" latitude: 49.4896456 longitude: 18.2654111 --- ![The log-built Libušín dining hall at Pustevny: a dark red building with a shingle roof, a gable painted in yellow and a carved turret; a stone staircase and benches in front of it](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_0154.avif) Dining hall • Pustevny • national cultural monument # Libušín Fire swallowed the finest dining hall in the Beskids. Carpenters rebuilt it board by board. - **Built:** 1897–1899 - **Restored:** 2014–2020 - **Architect:** Dušan Samo Jurkovič - **Painted decoration:** Karel Štapfer after Mikoláš Aleš ## A masterpiece that had to be built twice Libušín is a **dining hall** - and the masterpiece that made the name of the young **Dušan Samo Jurkovič**. He designed it for the Pohorská jednota Radhošť mountain association in the folk Art Nouveau style; the hall was painted by Karel Štapfer to designs by Mikoláš Aleš. In March 2014, much of Libušín **burned down**. Restoring it by hand to its 1925 form took six years. It reopened on 30 July 2020. ![The front of Libušín with its stone staircase, painted gable and the inscription Pohorská jednota Radhošť - Pustevně](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_0151.avif) Libušín from the approach path - the turret and the yellow painted gable are its hallmark. Why come here ### An Art Nouveau gem that still serves meals Libušín is a working **dining hall**. You can see the room with Aleš's scenes and its carved furnishings over a meal. Not to be missed ### The painted hall and the gable above the entrance Inside, **wall scenes and inscriptions** to designs by Mikoláš Aleš; outside, a **yellow painted gable** bearing the name of Pohorská jednota Radhošť. The second Jurkovič lodge stands next door - [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka). When to go ### All year; for the hall, avoid peak times The saddle fills up at weekends. The interior is **a working dining hall** - come in the morning or outside the main mealtimes. ![Detail of Libušín's gable from below: a yellow painted panel with floral motifs, and above it a carved turret with a gilded cockerel](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_0155.avif) ![View from above of Libušín and Maměnka in the Pustevny saddle, with forest and the countryside below the mountains behind](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/DJI_0187.avif) ![Libušín's turret from below, with the roof of the neighbouring building behind](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_0115.avif) The painted decoration ### Mikoláš Aleš designed it, Karel Štapfer painted it The scenes in the hall were drawn by **Mikoláš Aleš** and transferred to the walls by the academically trained painter **Karel Štapfer**. After the fire, the paintings were restored from the same designs. The wall decoration ### Figures, legends and inscriptions Above the panelling, **highlander figures and scenes from legends** alternate with painted inscriptions - such as “Jak se do lesa volá, tak se z lesa ozývá”, meaning that the way you treat others is how they will treat you. What to look for ### Furnishings and chandeliers The tables, the chairs with carved backs and the **chandeliers with red flowers** are all part of the design - Jurkovič treated the building and its furnishings as a single whole. ![The restored hall of Libušín: long tables with carved chairs, pale green wall panelling and wall paintings](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9900.avif) ![A view along the hall beneath a wooden arch: painted figures on the walls, long tables and a chandelier in the middle](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9891.avif) ![An octagonal room with paintings all around: a rider on a white horse, a figure beside a vessel, benches and tables by the windows](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9895.avif) ![A wall painting: a figure in a cloak with long braids leans on a staff, beside a vessel with smoke rising from it](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9898.avif) ![A wall painting of a man in a green jacket and high boots, a rifle over his shoulder and a shepherd's axe in his hand](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9904.avif) A highlander with a rifle and a valaška shepherd's axe - one of the figures surrounding the hall on every side. ![A close view of a chandelier in the dining hall: a wrought crown with red flowers and white glass globes, beneath a painted beamed ceiling](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9889.avif) Jurkovič designed the chandeliers as part of the hall - red flowers against the green ceiling. ![The dining hall interior with a tall tiled stove, a glazed display case and painted inscriptions below the ceiling](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9905.avif) The tiled stove warms the hall on cold days - and is part of the original furnishings. ![The dining hall with a tiled stove, a dresser and painted inscriptions above the wall panelling](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9913.avif) Painted inscriptions run above the panelling; the tiled stove stands in the corner, with a dresser beside it. ![The painted hall of Libušín: pale green panelling and ceiling beams, wall paintings, long tables with carved chairs and chandeliers with red flowers](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9886.avif) The painted hall of Libušín from another angle - the colours and the furnishings have returned to their turn-of-the-20th-century form. The story of Libušín ## Three buildings in one First it swallowed an older shelter, then it became an icon of folk Art Nouveau - and finally it burned down. What you see today is a hand-built copy. ![Aerial view of Libušín from the right: the tower with its gallery in the foreground, the main hall with its gable in the middle, Maměnka behind on the left](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/DJI_0882.avif) On the left, the unassuming wing formed by the absorbed Pústevňa; in the middle, Jurkovič's dining hall with its gable; on the right, the 1924 extension. Pústevňa 1891 ### Pústevňa came first The Frenštát association **Pohorská jednota Radhošť** - the oldest Czech hiking association - bought a plot in 1886 near the ruined hermitage that gave the place its name, Pustevny. Five years later it built the first tourist shelter here and named it after the hermitage: **Pústevňa**. The single-storey wooden building had **16 beds**, a taproom and a shared dormitory. Pústevňa stood on its own. Today it is **part of Libušín** - the building swallowed it. Visitors were arriving faster than beds could be added, so the association decided to keep building. ![Aerial view of Libušín's plainer wing - the swallowed Pústevňa - with two dormers and a plain roof without painted decoration](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/DJI_0878.avif) On the left of the aerial photograph is the swallowed Pústevňa - Jurkovič reworked its gable too when joining the buildings, only more modestly than the dining hall's. 1897–1899 ### Jurkovič, Štapfer and Aleš The association turned to the Vsetín building firm of **Michal Urbánek**. Its employee at the time, the young architect **Dušan Samo Jurkovič**, designed two new mountain lodges - the Libušín dining hall and the [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka) hotel. He drew on the log architecture of Wallachia and added his own details and Art Nouveau colour. Both buildings opened on **6 August 1899**. Libušín was painted by the academically trained painter **Karel Štapfer to designs by Mikoláš Aleš** - which is how scenes from Wallachian and Slavic legends found their way into the hall. ![Libušín from the front: a log building on a stone base, with a painted gable and the inscription Pohorská jednota Radhošť - Pustevně above the entrance](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_0151.avif) Jurkovič's gable from the front and from a drone - a painted panel with a turret above the entrance. Parma's extension, 1924 ### The last extension was added on the right The last extension went up in **1924**. It was built by **Aleš Parma** - which is why it is still called **Parma's extension**. A flat was created in the upper part, and a kitchen was added at the back a year later. The extension keeps the same log style as Jurkovič's dining hall, although it is a quarter of a century younger. According to the sources, Parma built it in keeping with the rest of the group. Today's form matches its **1925** appearance exactly, the year Libušín was first finished as a whole. ![The taller tower-like extension of Libušín with a gallery and balcony on the upper floor, its own stone staircase and entrance](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_0145.avif) The right-hand, youngest wing of Libušín - the 1924 extension. The tower now hosts themed exhibitions. The night of 3 March 2014 ### A burnt-out shell was left On the night of 2–3 March 2014, much of Libušín **burned down**. The flames destroyed mainly the right-hand part of the building - the part containing the artistically most valuable painted dining hall. A burnt-out shell was left. That shell then became the main source for the restoration: heritage specialists and conservators studied it as work went on and filled the gaps from period photographs. The question was not whether to build Libušín again, but in what form. Thousands of donors contributed to the **CZK 117.5 million** restoration through a public fundraising appeal - in 2017 the most successful appeal in the country. - **the night-time fire:** 3 March 2014 - **the restoration took:** almost 6 years - **the form it returned to:** 1925 - **cost of the restoration:** CZK 117.5 m ![The front of Libušín after the March 2014 fire: the charred gable and turret, a temporary beam propping it up and site fencing with prohibition signs in front of the entrance](https://d.zpusteven.cz/ccmedia/1280/libusin-po-pozaru-zblizka.avif) The shell shortly after the fire, June 2014. Foto: [Ivannah, Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Libusin%5Fpruceli%5F2.jpg), [CC BY-SA 3.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/), výřez 2020 ### A copy hewn by hand Libušín was restored as a scientific reconstruction - a faithful hand-built copy. The carpenters worked in traditional ways and with **solid fir timber**, the same wood the original building had. The interior of the dining hall is a copy of Jurkovič's work from 1899, and the painted decoration was restored from Aleš's original designs. The building returned to its form of **1925**, when the group of gradually extended buildings was finished as a whole. The technology today's regulations require was hidden inside it as well. The fire suppression system uses gas so that water does not destroy the interior. Libušín reopened to visitors on **30 July 2020**. ![The restored hall of Libušín with two chandeliers: pale green panelling, wall paintings and inscriptions, long tables with carved chairs in the middle](https://d.zpusteven.cz/place/libusin/1280/IMG_9918.avif) Timeline ## Libušín year by year From the first tourist shelter through Jurkovič's dining hall and the fire to the reopening. 1. 1886 ### A plot below Radhošť Pohorská jednota Radhošť buys the plot called “Krabičanek” near the ruined hermitage from Apolena Malinová, the fojtka - a hereditary village head. 2. 1891 ### The Pústevňa shelter The first tourist shelter at Pustevny is built - 16 beds, a taproom, a shared dormitory. It is part of Libušín today. 3. 1897–1899 ### Building Libušín The Libušín dining hall and the Maměnka hotel go up to a design by **Dušan Samo Jurkovič** (Michal Urbánek's building firm). 4. 6 August 1899 ### The opening ceremony Both lodges open to the public. The interior of Libušín was painted by **Karel Štapfer to designs by Mikoláš Aleš**. 5. 1924–1925 ### An extension and a kitchen The complex gains an extension and a kitchen at the back - the group of buildings comes together in the form it will return to a century later. 6. 1995 ### National cultural monument The Pustevny complex is declared a national cultural monument; Libušín and Maměnka pass into the care of the Rožnov open-air museum Valašské muzeum v přírodě. 7. 3 March 2014 ### Fire A night-time fire destroys much of the building, including the artistically most valuable painted dining hall. 8. 2020 ### Reopening After almost six years of scientific reconstruction, Libušín returns to visitors on **30 July** - in its 1925 form. Visit ## How to visit Libušín ### Where exactly #### In the Pustevny saddle, next to Maměnka Libušín stands by the main path through the saddle, a short way above [Brána Pusteven](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny) and right next to the second Jurkovič lodge, [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka). ##### Otevřít v mapách [Mapy.com](https://mapy.com/en/zakladni?x=18.2654111&y=49.4896456&z=17&source=coor&id=18.2654111,49.4896456) · [Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=49.4896456,18.2654111) ##### Other places nearby [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka) · [Brána Pusteven](https://zpusteven.cz/en/brana-pusteven) · [Mořské oko](https://zpusteven.cz/en/morske-oko) · [Cyrilka Cave](https://zpusteven.cz/cyrilka-cave) · [The Cyrilka lookout pavilion](https://zpusteven.cz/en/altan-cyrilka) · [The Radegast statue](https://zpusteven.cz/en/socha-radegasta) · [Čertův mlýn](https://zpusteven.cz/en/certuv-mlyn) · [Kněhyně](https://zpusteven.cz/en/knehyne) The ridge walk from Pustevny ### Getting here The simplest starting point for a visit to Libušín is Pustevny. Getting to Pustevny is covered by the [Pustevny page](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny). 1. 1 #### [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny) starting point You can reach Pustevny by car, by bus, by bike and by chairlift. Whichever you choose, you end up right in the saddle where Libušín stands. 2. #### Libušín destination · ~5 min across the saddle · you are here You will recognise Libušín by the yellow painted gable bearing the name of Pohorská jednota Radhošť - the entrance is at the top of the stone staircase. 3. ↓ #### [Onward: Maměnka and the ridge](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka) a few steps · the ridge walk beyond Right next door stands [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka), the second Jurkovič lodge. The ridge walk from the saddle leads in several directions - the [Pustevny page](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny#vylety) has an overview of the walks. From the southern end of the saddle (from the chairlift from Ráztoka) Libušín is a similarly short walk - just from the other side. ### Before you set out #### The interior is a working dining hall Libušín is a working **dining hall** - you can see the room as a guest over a meal. The quietest time is a weekday morning, outside the main mealtimes. #### Weather in the saddle Pustevny lies at **1,018 m a.s.l.** - it is colder and windier here than in the valley. An extra layer is useful even in summer. Na závěr ## Doplňující info a test znalostí ### Rychlá rekapitulace **Can I just look inside Libušín?** Yes - it is a working dining hall, and you can get inside as a guest over a meal. Moving freely with a camera between occupied tables is limited, though. **Is Libušín the original building or a copy?** A faithful hand-built copy. After the fire in March 2014, a scientific reconstruction - the same techniques and the same kind of timber as in the late 19th century - returned it to its 1925 form. **What is the difference between Libušín and Maměnka?** Both buildings were designed by Dušan Samo Jurkovič and opened in 1899. Libušín is a dining hall, Maměnka a hotel. Much of Libušín burned down in 2014 and it is a faithful copy; Maměnka is the original building from the late 19th century. **Who looks after Libušín?** The building belongs to the Rožnov open-air museum Valašské muzeum v přírodě, today a branch of Národní muzeum v přírodě. The dining hall is run by a private tenant. **When is the best time to visit?** The saddle fills up at weekends. The interior is a working dining hall - come in the morning or outside the main mealtimes. Where next ## Where to go on from Libušín Libušín is one stop on the ridge between the saddle and Radhošť. [Maměnka](https://zpusteven.cz/en/mamenka) - The neighbouring lodge · The second Jurkovič lodge right next door - a house to sleep in, with its own 20th-century history. · Přejít na stránku → [The Radegast statue](https://zpusteven.cz/en/socha-radegasta) - Across the ridge to Radegast · The ridge path from the lodges leads to the statue of the pagan god Radegast. · Přejít na stránku → [Radhošť and the Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius](https://zpusteven.cz/en/radhost) - The end of the ridge walk · The path continues all the way to Radhošť and the Chapel of Saints Cyril and Methodius, Czechia's highest religious building. · Přejít na stránku → [Pustevny](https://zpusteven.cz/en/pustevny) - The whole Pustevny complex · Hermits, the chairlift and other walks from the saddle - described on the page for the whole complex. · Přejít na stránku → --- Source: [Libušín at Pustevny: Jurkovič's Art Nouveau dining hall](https://zpusteven.cz/en/libusin) - zPusteven.cz. When citing, please link to the page.