Nový Jičín Can Keep Up With the Times

REGION Text a foto: Marie Machková www.novyjicin.cz Mgr. Stanislav Kopecký Starosta města Nový Jičín Mayor of the town of Nový Jičín Nový Jičín Can Keep Up With The Times The city of Nový Jičín lies in the northeast of Czechia, and its first written record dates back to the year 1313. At its centre is a square plaza surrounded by a cloister. The historical core of the city is a town monument reserve. The area of Nový Jičín houses ninety-three cultural monuments. The city was also made famous for its industry and trade. Nový Jičín became the city of hats through its widely popular hat production and legendary brand, Tonak. Today, the city possesses an industrial CTPark and the town hall is investing into the development of housing. Mr. Mayor, how would you characterize Nový Jičín? What does the city offer to potential investors? Although Nový Jičín is a very old city, it can keep up with the times. Its location is great in terms of transport infrastructure as it lies in the middle of the so-called ‘Silesian Crossroad’, connecting our region to Austria, Slovakia and Poland. Many large Czech and foreign companies also operate here--Varroc, Hanon Systems, CTP Invest, Tonak and Agel, just to name a few. We cooperate with all of them, though there is definitely room for even more businesses. We are currently finishing up an industrial zone with an area of 130,000 square meters, and we made sure a fire brigade and emergency medical service are close by. What has the city been up to lately? What projects can we look forward to? We have managed to kick the land market into gear to secure housing. We are providing citizens with the first set of plots for family houses. We are currently offering developers land in the Pod Skalkou area, also meant for family housing, while also holding a tender for the purchase of land in Dolní Brána street with the goal of constructing apartment complexes. Come summer, we will begin the reconstruction of a former medical hostel into apartments meant for young adults. We were troubled by the stagnant traffic in the city, and so we developed a plan to solve this issue. In some areas, we are planning to change traffic signs, in others build new parking spaces. To increase the quality of life, we are beginning the expansion of the Koleje cycling path, we have developed a beach by the Čerťák reservoir and we are working on restoring the Skalky stone theatre. Thank you for the interview. POSITIV 1/2021 ǀ 63