REGION TŘINEC

A Strong and

Vibrant City

RNdr. Věra Palkovská has been

involved in the development of

the town of Třinec for twentythree years. It is located in the

very eastern tip of the Czech

Republic within sight of the

Polish and Slovakian borders.

From a small mountain village,

which became a town only

in 1931, it has turned into

a vibrant place friendly to

business and life, in part thanks

to close cooperation with

Třinecké železárny, a prosperous

metallurgical company.

Třinec is a multiple-time winner of the

title City for Business in the MoravianSilesian Region. Why is this so?

Since 2015, we have three times won the

comparative research award for the City for

Business in the Moravian-Silesian Region.

In 2020, at the national level, we finished

fourth place out of the total number of 205

municipalities with extended powers. It is

the result of long-term cooperation which

requires the fulfillment of three conditions:

the continuity and stability of the town

hall, long-term cooperation with business

subjects led by Třinecké železárny and

the courage necessary to embark on new

things associated with responsibility.

Mutual synergy has been working

successfully between the city and

Třinecké železárny for many years. Which

projects are successfully implemented

thanks to this?

The city and Třinecké železárny are

connected almost by an umbilical cord.

The smelter is the largest employer in

the region. Due to this history, there has

been successful cooperation between

the city and the Třinecké železárny for

many years. This cooperation allows us

to implement a number of projects that

increase the quality of life in our city,

such as the construction of the Baliny

industrial zone, the partial diversion of

heavy car traffic outside of the city center

and more. The smelter plays an important

role in supporting sports, culture and social

projects. We value this cooperation and

partnership very much, because such close

cooperation between towns is not usual.

which is why even the coronavirus did not

stop us.

Třinec is no longer just an industrial city.

There are more areas for relaxing, new

sports grounds, etc. What else can it offer

to citizens?

We are an industrial city surrounded by

greenery. In the center is a modern sports

complex, STARS, with a wide range of sports

and Werk Arena, where extra-league hockey

and many other major sporting and cultural

events take place; the Trisia cultural house,

which offers a wide range of cultural events;

an attractive forest park with a workout

playground that also includes equipment for

children to play. Not far from the center is the

well-known tourist hill Javorový, which is also

the dominant feature of Třinec. And this is

just a short list of what our city offers.

The Třinec concept of a smart city has

set itself three goals: to manage the city,

transportation and the environment wisely.

What specific smart measures have you

already managed to implement in the city?

We have been on the path of a smart city for

a long time. We are looking for smart solutions

to make people‘s lives more pleasant and

easier and we put them into practice using

smart technologies. We focus on three areas:

smart city management, clean transportation

and a clean environment. Everything is closely

related. As part of the clean transportation

project, we are creating the conditions for

people to make more use of rail transport,

electromobility and bicycles. It is interesting

that since 2017, ten electric buses have been

running in Třinec—we matched the number

of electric buses running in Vienna at that

same time.

What are your current priorities and what

other news in terms of city development

are you planning next year?

We are currently working on a Strategic

Plan for the statutory city of Třinec 2022+,

whose basic priorities include investing in

education, transport construction, greenery

and helping the needy. COVID affected not

only the lives of the inhabitants, but also the

life of our city. We are now implementing

mostly the necessary investment projects—

the reconstruction of the overpass in the city

center, the construction of a parking garage,

the modernization of schools and more. We

have been striving for sound finances and

sustainable development for a long time,

Due to your position of responsibility, it is

probably difficult to switch off and relax

completely. What are your hobbies and

where do you go in the Moravian-Silesian

Region if you want to clear your head?

Working for the city is very demanding, but

at the same time it fills me a lot. In order to be

able to work at full capacity for a long time,

one has to recharge the batteries. I recharge

them with my growing family in nature, by

bike, with golf or on skis.

Mrs Mayor, thank you for the interview.

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