Slezan Is Transforming Its Textile Heritage into a New Face for the City
18ǀ POSITIV 3/2026
DEVELOPMENT
back to the city, whether it is Marlenka, the new Lidl
store or the Nová Osmička cultural complex.
How important will cooperation with the city
continue to be?
Crucial. We have long regarded this area as one
of the city’s greatest development opportunities –
an area that can make a significant contribution to its
future development while also providing residents
with new amenities, services and public spaces.
That is why we are taking a systematic approach
to planning its future. We are opening up discussion
about its potential future uses to experts, working,
for example, with VŠB–FAST through students’ diploma
projects, and also maintaining an ongoing dialogue
with the city about the development of the area.
When selling your sites, you insist that the new
owners respect their historic character. How does
this work in practice?
It is a moral understanding and a gentlemen’s agreement
we have with investors, and one that everyone honours.
A great example is the new Lidl store, which will feature
an unconventional design for the Czech Republic
while fully preserving the textile mill’s original brick
façade and gables. Similarly, when constructing its new
facility, Marlenka is preserving the entire historicist
building at the front of the site, as well as the overall
character of the factory.
Ten years of preparation are now behind you. Which
specific projects will you launch first?
We are currently working intensively on the designs
for three key locations comprising more than
200 flats. These are the JEDNOTA FM, LOUKY FM
and TKALCOVNA FM I and II projects. Not all of them
have a textile heritage.
JEDNOTA FM is a former administrative headquarters
on one of the city’s main thoroughfares. Very little
had been invested in the building for thirty years,
and it gradually ceased to serve its original purpose.
We are therefore going to transform it into a mixed–
use building. On the ground floor, we will create
new office facilities and a coworking space, while
the upper floors will offer smaller rental flats with one
or two rooms and a kitchenette. I believe we will begin
the reconstruction itself in the first half of next year.
Another of your planned developments
is Louky in Lískovec. What will make this
neighbourhood distinctive?
The LOUKY FM project is being developed on four
hectares of land in a beautiful setting overlooking
the Beskydy Mountains. We are designing around thirty
buildings with dozens of flats and generous green
spaces, with a strong emphasis on quality of living. We
are working on the masterplan with the Ostrava–based
Chválek architectural studio. We do not want to build
a uniform housing estate, which is why we are
significantly diversifying the range of housing on offer.
We plan to obtain planning permission by the middle
of next year and begin building the infrastructure.
What will the TKALCOVNA FM project in the city
centre bring to local residents?
This is our largest mixed–use development, representing
an investment of several hundred million Czech crowns.
On the site of the former factory, two large blocks will
be built, with retail and services on the ground floor
and residential floors above. On the rooftops of these
buildings, we are designing spacious family duplexes
for clients who want the comfort of city–centre living
without the responsibilities that come with owning
a house and garden.
Synergy with the city is crucial here, as the sale of our land
has enabled the development of a new bus and railway
terminal directly next to the railway station. Passengers
will therefore step straight from public transport
into a new neighbourhood offering a wide range
of local amenities. We will preserve the original historic
weaving mill building and incorporate it into the new
architecture.
You operate in a number of locations, but your
strongest connection is with Frýdek–Místek. What
place in the city is closest to your heart personally?
Without question, the Ostravice River. It is a dominant
natural feature that both connects and divides the two
parts of the city. Frýdek–Místek has the incredible
advantage of being right on the doorstep of the Beskydy
foothills. Naturally, this is the place we feel the strongest
connection to – an almost patriotic one.
Where do you see Frýdek–Místek and Slezan
Holding in ten years’ time?
We want to continue developing the company as
a strong, regionally rooted business and a natural
partner to the local community, which we have been
supporting for more than ten years.
We believe that within ten years, an essentially new,
vibrant and attractive city centre will have emerged,
complete with comprehensive infrastructure, green
spaces and modern housing for all generations. We
want to continue demonstrating that the combination
of sound business, Czech capital and respect
for historical heritage is the best way to build a future
the city can be proud of.
| Text: MonikaŠevčíková, foto: KarelJuchelka,SlezanHoldinga.s.
We are currently working intensively
on the designs for three key sites
comprising more than 200 ats.