BUSINESS
Ostrava Plays in the Top League!
New Mayor Declares War on False
Myths About His City
Jan Dohnal assumed the leadership of the Moravian-Silesian metropolis in response to rapid changes
at the local city hall. As a former councillor and deputy mayor of the region’s most populous municipal
district, he brings a sense of calm and confidence to his role as mayor. Dohnal announced that he
does not intend to implement any radical changes but will focus on ensuring that the key projects he
has initiated will continue to go ahead successfully. His primary objective is to address the significant
mitigation of the population outflow and transform the nationwide perception of Ostrava.
Letos otevřený univerzitní City Campus Ostrava na Černé louce. Foto Lukáš Kaboň
Although you have been mayor since the end of
April this year, you are not new to the municipality.
In the previous coalition, you held the position for
deputy for sport and transport. You will continue
to retain the responsibility for sport. What led you to
continue to oversee the field of sport?
The sports sector is a key component to reshape
Ostrava‘s image beyond our region’s border. By
hosting top international tournaments, we will not
only make the city famous, but above all we will
attract a large number of visitors from other places
to Ostrava. Through a first hand experience, these
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visitors will see for themselves that this characterised
„black city“ is in fact a green and vibrant city with many
interesting attractions. In fact, they will discover that
Ostava is a city that looks completely different from
the surviving media clichés or artificially constructed
dark panoramas from commercial „crime TV series“.
We are already making great progress in this
direction as Ostrava has established itself as
host city for many prestigious sporting events.
The Golden Spike, Czech Indoor Gala, Ostrava
Beach Open (which is a truly unique event
combining beach volleyball in an industrial setting),