News

The project to convert the historic slaughterhouse into the contemporary art gallery PLATO once again excels in the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award. After advancing to the narrower nomination selection in January, it has now made it to the final seven, or rather, five. No Czech construction has been this successful in the past.

February marked 49 years since the opening of the main building of Ostrava Main Train Station, a structure representative of the fading Brussels style in Czech architecture. The building has been affected by time and partial interventions, with some elements disappearing and internal modifications being added. Similarly, the area in front of this main railway hub has gradually deteriorated. 

The present structural condition of the nearly forty-year-old OSTRAVAR ARENA, combined with a significant rise in electricity and heating costs, has prompted the city to commission a study for future decision-making on the architectural renovation of this distinctive building and its potential use in the years ahead.

City representatives have commenced negotiations on the contract terms for the sale of a site that will expand the Technology Park in Ostrava-Pustkovec. The City Council, in its second February meeting, decided to start discussions on acquiring property with CTP Invest, spol. s. r. o.

The Ambassador of the Slovak Republic in the Czech Republic, Her Excellency Ingrid Brocková, recently visited Ostrava, where she was welcomed by the Mayor Jan Dohnal at the New City Hall. The Ambassador is an experienced diplomat who has previously represented Slovakia in the OECD. She was keen to discuss a range of regional and national-level issues.

The City of Ostrava is actively helping people in precarious housing situations through a major social housing project. The City Authority provides various forms of support to people in different life situations, all designed to combat housing-related problems affecting Ostrava's citizens.

600 new parking spaces will be created at a new parking garage near the Moravian-Silesian Regional Authority offices in Ostrava. Work on the new garage – which will replace an existing parking lot with 77 spaces – is set to begin soon, and completion is scheduled for the end of 2025.

The new national electronic ID system (eDoklad) makes it possible to verify citizens’ identity and other legal information electronically. The City of Ostrava has decided not to wait until the legally stipulated deadline for introducing the service, and instead has chosen to implement the electronic system as soon as possible. The City’s intention is that every official at the City Authority will be able to carry out electronic ID verifications if their work requires this.

Přemyslovců Street, a major transport artery running through the heart of Ostrava’s Mariánské Hory district, is undergoing a complete reconstruction. Benefits will include improved facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as newly planted trees and flowerbeds that will retain rainwater and create a more pleasant microclimate. New short-term parking spaces will be created outside local businesses, improving traffic flow along the road.

The foyer of Ostrava’s New City Hall is currently home to an exhibition of photographs by the acclaimed Croatian photographer Fjodor Klarić capturing the unique beauty and fascination of the historic city of Split. This Adriatic port has been a partner city of Ostrava since 1976.

The actor Norbert Lichý (* 29. 12. 1964) passed away on 16 January at the age of 59. He was a much-loved presence on both stage and screen, and he was closely associated with his hometown Ostrava.

The former city slaughterhouse, dating from the 19th century, has been completely transformed by a bold project to convert it into a new home for Ostrava's PLATO contemporary art gallery. The project has now been chosen as the sole Czech representative in the shortlist of nominations for the Mies van der Rohe Award. The finalists will be announced in early February, and the award ceremony will be held in May 2024 at Mies van der Rohe's Barcelona Pavilion.

Last year, more boys (2 211) than girls (2 151) were born in Ostrava; this continued the trend from 2022. The most popular names given to baby girls were Eliška, Stela (Stella), Ema (Emma), Amálie, Viktorie, Anna, Sofie, Rozálie, Tereza and Julie. The most popular boys’ names in 2023 were Jakub (the same as in 2022), Matyáš, Dominik, Jan, Teodor (Theodor, Theo, Teo), Michal, Martin, Filip, Samuel and Oliver. 

Ostrava is once again offering financial support for the creation of new apartments in non-residential buildings that have been vacant for a long time. Such conversion projects will help expand the range of affordable housing in the city. The funding programme is targeted at the renovation and revitalization of buildings that have demonstrably been vacant for long periods, and its focus is on providing affordable housing.

In 2022, the number of annual visitors to Ostrava’s Zoological Garden and Botanical Park surpassed 600 000 for the first time – with the record falling just a couple of days before the end of the year. This year (2023), visitor numbers passed the 600 000 mark two days earlier than in 2022. Will the zoo set a new record in 2023?

The first baby of 2024 born in Ostrava is a boy named Gabriel. The name is of Hebrew origin, meaning “God is powerful”. He was born on 1 January, just 39 minutes after midnight, at Ostrava’s University Hospital. Gabriel’s family lives in Ostrava-Jih, and he has a 2½ year-old brother.

In 2025, the Women’s World Floorball Championship will return to the Czech Republic after a twelve-year gap. Like last time, the host cities will be Brno and Ostrava, with the final round of games to be played at the Ostravar Arena. Financial support from the Moravian-Silesian Region and the City of Ostrava will be a key factor in the tournament’s success.

For several years now, children under age 3 experiencing crisis situations have not been placed in institutional care, but have instead been looked after by temporary foster carers. This year, foster carers in Ostrava have provided temporary care for 37 children, and a further 45 children have been placed with foster carers in other parts of the Moravian-Silesian Region. 

Ostrava has won the national ‘Bike to Work 2023’ award in recognition of the outstanding progress it has made in the field of sustainable mobility and infrastructure. As a prize, the city has received a brand-new bicycle service and repair station. Ostrava has participated in the ‘Bike to Work’ challenge for the past 10 years, and it has been the city-level organizer of the challenge for 6 years.

The Czech government has approved a proposal by the Ministry of Culture to list the New City Hall in Ostrava as a national cultural monument. Built between the world wars to replace the much older and smaller city hall (hence the word “new” in its name), it has become one of Ostrava’s most prominent and distinctive landmarks – and now it has been officially recognized as one of the most important historical buildings in the Czech Republic.