News

From April 25 to 28, 2025, Ostrava will once again take part in the global City Nature Challenge (CNC), the world’s largest community biodiversity mapping project. Following the city's impressive debut last year, Ostrava joins hundreds of cities across all continents in this citizen science event that connects nature lovers of all ages with scientists to document urban biodiversity.

On 26 April, the Silesian-Ostrava Castle, its surrounding area, and the embankment of the Ostravice River came alive with grand and dignified celebrations marking 80 years since the liberation of Ostrava. A rich and engaging program was prepared for visitors of all ages.

At the end of this April, we will mark the 80th anniversary of the Ostrava–Opava operation, which led to the liberation of Ostrava from German occupation. This was one of the last major battles of World War II on the European continent. To commemorate this significant historical milestone, the city of Ostrava, together with the regional military command, military history clubs, and other partners, has organized a festive program on Saturday, April 26, 2025, offering a wide range of activities for all ages.

On Sunday, April 13, the Parish Garden of St. Mark in Heřmanice was ceremonially reopened after completing its second phase of renovation. The project was supported by Ostrava’s “Creating Space” program, which enabled the garden's expansion and the addition of several new features: the “Corner of Virtues,” a gazebo, and a pétanque court.

The city of Ostrava is planning a significant transformation of the Fifejdy area. In addition to the revitalization of a brownfield site and urban development of the currently unattractive land, a new multi-purpose sports hall for at least 3,500 spectators will be built, designed specifically for ball sports.

The City of Ostrava is committed to promoting sports and physical activity among children and young people. One of the city's key initiatives in this area is the popular Ostrava Sports Games, now in their fifth year. As part of this year's program, the FIT 4 SCHOOL event took place on April 4 at Form Factory fitness center, welcoming students from grades 6 to 9.

With the kind permission of POSITIV Business & Style magazine, we are publishing here an interview by Tadeáš Goryczka with the chairwoman of the international jury for the architectural competition for the New Bazaly project, Irish architect Valerie Mulvin. Her name is associated with the McCullough Mulvin Architects studio, which has designed many fascinating buildings (see photo below). What brought this exceptional personality from the „Emerald Isle" to Ostrava?

The City of Ostrava is moving forward with an ambitious and visionary project — the construction of a world-class football stadium, New Bazaly. This modern facility is set to become a new architectural and cultural landmark for the region and an international hub for sport, innovation, and tourism.

From March 27 to 29, 2025, the city of Košice in eastern Slovakia hosted the latest edition of the long-standing international event, the V4 Partner Cities Meeting. Representatives and municipal employees from Ostrava (Czech Republic), Katowice (Poland), and Miskolc (Hungary) joined their Slovak counterparts for a multi-day gathering aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and friendly ties through sport.

Today, Ostrava’s Mayor, Jan Dohnal, welcomed a delegation of representatives from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro in the representative halls of the New City Hall. Dnipro has been a partner city of Ostrava since last year. Following a meeting held in a positive and friendly atmosphere, the delegation opened a photography exhibition in the town hall foyer, introducing the city of Dnipro to the public.

The draw for the four tournament groups of the 2025 Women’s Floorball World Championship took place at the Dolní Vítkovice complex, with representatives from Czech Floorball, the International Floorball Federation (IFF), the host cities, and both former and current national team players in attendance. The championship will be held from December 6 to 14, 2025, in Brno and Ostrava.

Nearly CZK 6.6 million will be allocated to Ostrava's municipal districts, the Ostrava Municipal Police, and other municipal organizations to support activities in the field of crime prevention, in line with the "Crime Prevention Strategy of the Statutory City of Ostrava for the Period 2023–2027." Ensuring the safety of residents remains one of the city’s top priorities.

The Petr Bezruč Theatre has won the Theatre Critics’ Award in the Theatre of the Year category. The Theatre Critics’ Awards are annual honors recognizing artistic achievements in Czech theatre, awarded since 2014 based on critics’ votes. The survey among theatre critics is conducted, and the awards are presented, by the magazine Svět a divadlo (World and Theatre).

The two-story attic house in Stará Bělá, known as Zlatý Jelen, has undergone a major reconstruction. After approximately twenty years of abandonment, this late 19th-century building is regaining its former glory. The former inn, which has served various purposes over time, is now becoming a true cultural center for the community. 

The September flood in Ostrava affected many key locations across the city, with one of the most significant consequences being the shutdown of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant. The extent of the damage was estimated at up to CZK 500 million. Its restoration was a priority for the city, and as soon as post-flood conditions allowed, efforts to restart the facility and resolve this emergency situation began.

Do you know an athlete who achieved outstanding sports success last year? Don’t hesitate to nominate them for the Athlete of the Year award, an annual poll organized by the City of Ostrava. This initiative recognizes the city’s top athletes and showcases their achievements to the public.

Last weekend, the current edition of the Czech Indoor Championships in men's and women's athletics took place in the athletics hall in Ostrava-Vítkovice with the support of the city of Ostrava. There was plenty to watch, as the audience was treated to a number of dramatic moments and outstanding performances.

At their second meeting in February, the city council took another symbolic step towards the long journey of creating a new landmark for Ostrava. This followed a jury's deliberation, which carefully reviewed the applications for participation in the architectural competition for the design of the New Bazaly football stadium.

Sdílko, a popular pop-up exhibition in Ostrava since 2016, is relocating to the city centre for the first time in 2025. The event will be held on Prokešovo náměstí from 22 May to 5 June, focusing exclusively on cultural and creative sectors.

A new parking garage providing an additional 64 parking spaces has been completed near the Cultural House Poklad in Ostrava-Poruba. Together with the 74 parking spaces offered by the first parking garage, this development significantly enhances parking capacity in Ostrava-Poruba.