News

In 2018, CzechInvest received 156 enquiries from investors seeking business properties in the Czech Republic. They most frequently enquired about manufacturing facilities and industrial land in equal measure (45.5% of enquiries in each case) as well as office space (9%). Nearly 29% of all enquiries involved brownfields. In comparison with 2017, demand for manufacturing facilities increased slightly, whereas demand for industrial land plots and office space slightly declined. They are primarily interested in locations in the Ústí, Moravia-Silesia, Plzeň and Central Bohemia regions.

Development of high-quality architecture and urbanism in Ostrava – this is the goal of the City Spatial Planning and Architecture Studio (MAPPA), whose establishment was approved by the City Assembly few days ago. Modelled on IPR Prague or KAM Brno, the new publicly co-funded organization will start its activities this summer.

The competition for the design of a new concert hall in Ostrava continues. The international architectural and urbanistic competition for a concert hall is going to have two rounds and should be completed in June 2019. During the first meeting of the committee two out of six competitors were eliminated.

The passengers in the Ostrava Public Transport Company (DPO) can now connect to the Internet via a free and unlimited Wi-Fi network. The only requirement is to install the MojeDPO application for free, which also offers many other features.

Next week, Ostrava will participate in the prestigious MIPIM investment event for the 22nd year in a row. This year’s MIPIM will be held in the French city of Cannes from 12–15 March, and Ostrava will feature as part of a joint presentation alongside the Moravian-Silesian Region, Prague and Brno. The “Czech Cities & Regions” stand will cover 250 m², and it will use a single design concept to present all four exhibitors.

This year, Ostrava will host an exciting event focusing on urban landscapes and public space: LANDSCAPE FESTIVAL OSTRAVA 2019. The festival will last from late May/early June to mid-October. The event has previously been held in Prague, Plzeň and Opava, and this year Ostrava takes over the baton from these successful host cities.

Although Ostrava's sports fields and athletics tracks are currently blanketed in snow, preparations for the Golden Spike athletics meeting in June are already in full swing. The organizing team has confirmed the first big names for the meeting – including some of the world's leading stars in the sprint events, high jump and javelin.

The City Hospital has acquired a sophisticated new microscope which will be used for eye surgery. It will enable surgeons to perform 50 operations per week.

During weekend, the women's tennis teams from the Czech Republic and Romania will compete in the first round of the Fed Cup. Some Czech squad members have already arrived in Ostrava – including Barbora Krejčíková (doubles winner at Wimbledon and the French Open, and recent mixed doubles winner at the Australian Open) and the team captain Petr Pála (who brought home the Fed Cup winners' trophy last year).

The bicycle sharing system, a popular way of getting around the city, will continue this year in Ostrava with a new supplier Nextbike Czech Republic s.r.o.. Compared to last year's pilot operation, this year will be more than three times larger. There should be up to 200 bike racks.

The area around two new university buildings to be built behind Antonín Dvořák Theater will become more beautiful. The road that separates the future university campus from the left bank of the Ostravice River will undergo fundamental changes.

Electronic tickets are more popular than paper tickets in Ostrava. For the first time since their launch in 2016, their number and financial value exceeded the sale of single paper tickets.

From the beginning of 2019, the VŠB - Technical University of Ostrava has been the manager of the National Centre for Energy. Together with other research organizations and companies in the energy industry, it will develop new, more efficient and safer technologies, including those for the use of alternative fuels and ensuring the energy self-sufficiency of the Czech Republic.

The eighteenth year of Colours of Ostrava, the popular multi-genre music festival,  one of the biggest music events in Central Europe, will take place from 17th to 20th July 2019 in the industrial area of Ostrava's Dolní Vítkovice. The headliners include The Cure and Florence and The Machine.

The University Hospital in Ostrava has opened a brand new Mother and Child Care Pavilion, which is one of the most modern perinatal centres in the Czech Republic. This pavilion will bring all the facilities of the Gynaecology and Obstetrics Clinic under one roof.

Last year marked another record for the national cultural monument Lower Vítkovice in Ostrava. For the first time in its history, the unique industrial area welcomed a total of 1,655,514 visitors. In 2017, the number of visitors reached 1.5 million.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2019 :)

The December Issue of the Development Newsletter is here.  The Development Newsletter contains regularly updated information aimed at investors, members of the business community and the general public.

At their December meeting, the City Assembly approved the sale of land in the Mošnov Strategic Industrial Zone. On an area of about 20,000 m2, the Chinese company XZB will in two years build a new modern plant with fully automated operations employing at least 50 people, including at least 10 high value added jobs. The land has been sold for CZK 7.14 million excluding VAT.

The 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship will be held in Ostrava and Třinec from 26 December 2019 to 5 January 2020. This will be the third time for the Czech Republic to host the Championship; Ostrava and Frýdek-Místek hosted the championship in 1994.