News

The conversion of Ostrava’s 19th-century slaughterhouse to become the home of the PLATO contemporary art gallery has been ranked among the top five finalists in the EU’s Mies van der Rohe Award for contemporary architecture. The project faced challenging competition from 362 other buildings all over Europe, and it is the first-ever Czech building to reach this stage of the competition.

Three men – Vladimír Tomčák (a member of the public), Tomáš Zevel (a National Police Force officer) and Petr Komoň (a City Police Force officer) – have been recognized for their role in saving a man’s life. It is thanks to them that a 19-year-old student was rescued from drowning after having been taken suddenly ill at a swimming pool.

A treat for all fans of international ice hockey – from 10 May to 26 May, Ostrava and Prague are co-hosting the 87th IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship! Which teams will be facing each other in the Ostrava Arena? How will the tournament affect transport in the city, and will there be any road closures or special provision for cars? What can hockey fans look forward to besides the games themselves? For answers to these questions (and more), keep reading! We’ve summarized all the key info for you in the following text.

Ostrava has a new strategic plan. It has selected key topics to focus on and develop in the coming years until 2030. The plan's priorities include quality housing and architecture, energy, and fulfilling the role of a metropolis, among others.

The list of cities that have established partnerships with Ostrava will expand to thirteen. Joining the list is Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine, located approximately 400 kilometres from Kyiv. The invasion of Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022 also sparked a massive wave of solidarity in Ostrava.

As part of the nationwide "Let's Clean up Czechia" campaign, a team from the Ostrava City Hall started the clean-up of a part of Slezská Ostrava, in a small forest between Hladnovská and Heřmanická streets on the second day of April.

The architectural gem of Ostrava, Grossmann Villa, will soon welcome its first visitors. The comprehensive process of rescuing the protected monument villa has concluded, preceded by extensive restoration work initiated at the end of 2021. 

Ostrava’s PLATO contemporary art gallery is extending the duration of the exhibition Escaped, Found a Hideout, Still on the Run (Animal News) by an additional week, until 17 March. The extension comes in response to an upsurge of public interest as well as a planned visit by the jury of the EU’s Mies van der Rohe Award; the gallery – converted from a historic former slaughterhouse – has reached the finals of this prestigious international competition.

The evaluation committee has completed the rigorous process of reviewing bids received by the city in the public procurement procedure for the second phase of the concert hall project and reconstruction of the Ostrava Cultural Centre. Five contenders expressed interest in constructing this unique structure, with bid prices ranging from 2.798 billion to 3.69 billion CZK.

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.