BUSINESS

A New Opportunity

for Brownfields in Our Region

We often associate the term “brownfield” with forgotten dilapidated buildings and areas without

positive utilization. Presently, however, investors and the public have begun viewing brownfields

from a different perspective. People are starting to view these areas as unique opportunities

for development, and so, brownfields are becoming increasingly sought after by developers and

companies. These entities now often prefer construction in brownfields as opposed to meadows,

which is also in line with modern ecological efforts. The potential of these unused buildings and

areas was the subject of the 15th annual conference, “Brownfields as Opportunities”, hosted by

MSID, the Moravian-Silesian Region and the Institute For Sustainable Development of Settlements.

This year the conference was symbolically

held in one of Ostrava’s most iconic

brownfields, in what used to be the kitchen

of Ostrava’s former and most luxurious hotel

Palace, which highlighted the event’s unique

atmosphere. The attendees, composed

of developers, architects and municipal

representatives, were presented with

the overall vision for the Moravian-Silesian

region’s transformation, the new direction of

MSID, and the POHO 2030 program.

Further blocks of the conferences were

dedicated to completed, ongoing and

scheduled regenerations of brownfields

around the region. The importance of

brownfield development in the context

of city prosperity was then presented by

the representatives of Ostrava and Opava.

Slezan Holding, from Frýdek Místek, later

highlighted brownfield projects in the private

sector, which was followed by a presentation

about the ongoing reconstruction of

the former shopping center Ostravica-Textilia.

Attendees were also given information about

current and planned options for brownfield

regeneration financing in our region.

The following day, guests were taken

on a tour around brownfields, dubbed

the “Brownfield Trip.” This experience

included a number of successful examples of

how life was brought back into brownfields.

Participants were presented with other

inspiring examples of

how these spaces can be used as well. They

visited the Neumann brother’s laundromat,

the exhibition of the Slezan Textile company

history, the location of a future boulevard in

Frýdek Místek and the Palkovická barracks.

Kampus Palace

The original Hotel National building from

1913 was constructed on the grounds of the

city’s first inn from 1779, called “By the Green

Tree” (U Zeleného Stromu). The building,

which at the time boasted Europe-wide

fame, was designed by the Vienna architect

Wunibald Deininger, and was inspired by the

decorative style which was gaining popularity

at the time. The construction of this hotel,

and its 80 suites, temporarily filled the gap in

accommodation in the industrial city had at

that time. The ground floor had a restaurant

and multiple private club rooms, while the

two upper floors contained guest rooms.

The luxurious hotel also had a bar, called

Amerikan, which hosted the hotel orchestra

and a sweets shop with a ladies salon.

The hotel’s first reconstruction and expansion

project, which increased its capacity to

160 rooms was spearheaded by famous

coffee shop owners Ferdinand and Jacob

Gronner, who purchased the hotel in 1928.

While these changes were underway, a new

wing was also constructed for the hotel,

including a large coffee shop. These four

buildings then made up a complex, which

became known under the familiar name

Hotel Palace. The famous Palace cafe first

opened in 1930, along with the Boccaccio

bar in its basement, which hosted dance

performances daily.

After 1945, the hotel was nationalized, and

became a part of the Interhotels Čedok

national enterprise. Later, in the 60s,

the complex underwent a tasteless

reconstruction. After the turn of the century,

the NBC developer company gained

ownership of the hotel, and in 2008, it

received the city’s approval in the demolition

of most of the complex despite their original

intentions of remodeling it.

The complex was finally saved in 2010,

when it was acquired by the Sedm Stromů

company, which, in spite of complications

this brought them, persisted in realizing their

Kampus Palace project. The project cost over

a hundred million Czech crowns thus far,

and included the construction of 111 guest

rooms, ranging from single suites to triple

rooms. Up to 260 students at a time have

found a temporary home here since 2016.

Presently, after the Sedm Stromů company

split, the complex is owned by Palace Holding

and operated by Kampus Palace. The large

marble staircase is practically all that is left

of the original hotel’s interior. Some parts

of the complex still remain unused, which

offers the opportunity for the expansion of

the already existing student accommodation

in the center of Ostrava.

POSITIV 4/2022 ǀ 23