Ostrava In 2024
38 ǀ POSITIV 4/2024
BUSINESS
by meteorologists is also something that cannot
be forgotten, as they gave the city an opportunity
to make preparations ahead of time. I would like
to take this opportunity to thank those that helped
or are still helping with recovery after the floods.
All of you did a great job at handling it.
What do you consider to be the most important
successes for Ostrava in the past year?
First of all, in terms of architecture, three of our
construction projects received very high praise.
Two of these were bridges, the one at Bazaly
stadium and the Balabán bridge in Dolní Vítkovice.
The third project, however, was probably the most
successful, and that was the reconstruction
of the city slaughterhouse. This was the first
Czech construction project in history to reach
the finals of the Mies van der Rohe competition,
which is the most prestigious event focused on
contemporary architecture in Europe.
I am also very happy to say that we are managing
to positively shift the general consensus of Ostrava
through all the changes we are making. Nowadays,
Ostrava is no longer referred to as a gray city for
miners and metallurgists. Quite on the contrary,
we can serve as a great example of successful
economic transformation. Continuing to strengthen
cooperation with universities was a very important
factor in this transformation. These institutions
are now aware that they play a key role in keeping
the city alive, and that it is their mission to attract
and anchor young people here.
In terms of business successes, I would like to
highlight the finalisation of the sale of real estate
for the construction of a BMW production facility
in Mošnov. This prestigious brand will create many
new employment positions and open up new
investment paths. The architectural competition
regarding the skyscraper by Nová Karolina was
also finalised this year. More great news includes
the revival of the former Ostrava icon Ostravica-
Textilia. This structure has now been turned into
the boutique business incubator Ostravica. All
of this led developers and investors that operate on
an international scale to start showing interest in
Ostrava.
I consider the fact that we were able to reverse our
negative migration trend a genuine breakthrough.
The number of people moving to Ostrava now
exceeds the number that is leaving the city.
You place strong emphasis on advertising Ostrava
through large sports and cultural events making
2024 a great year for this.
The national team’s perfect performance in
the hockey world championship was a great help
in this, as it attracted crowds of both domestic
and foreign fans. This is an event on a global scale,
and so we are currently working on improving
Ostrava’s infrastructure to handle similar events
better in the future. NATO days is also an event
that annually does a lot to advertise the city.
Unfortunately, this year the show had to be canceled
due to the aforementioned floods. Not far behind
in terms of popularity, however, are the Colours
of Ostrava and Beats for Love music festivals, which
made an appearance at the European Festival
Awards this year. “Colours” have been featured
at this award show multiple times, however, it was
a debut for “Beats.” These festivals attract many
highschool and university students to the city.
These are active young people which is something
Ostrava needs.
What new year's resolution should the city have?
Is there anything you would like to tell the citizens
as we go into 2025?
I would be overjoyed if the city managed to
maintain the dynamic pace of development it has
seen in the past couple years. That is what I would
like the city’s new year’s resolution to be. There
is one more big issue to solve, however, and it is
something each individual Ostrava citizen can
help with. We are troubled by low self esteem,
deep inside there is a small part of all of us that
is a little embarrassed by living in Ostrava. This
embarrassment is completely unfounded however,
we have laid the foundation and we can execute on
the followthrough and we can take pride in that.
For the upcoming year I hope that any planned
or ongoing projects progress smoothly. There are
many projects that are in the works right now - from
the concert hall construction, to the reconstruction
of the Ostrčilová street skyscraper according
to Eva Jiřičná’s design, to the highly anticipated
northern connection road or extension of Místecká
street. Another key project is the preparation
of the “Pod Žofinkou” area for construction
of a new city district. Last but not least, we are also
preparing to construct more residential housing.
The architectural competition for the new iconic
Bazaly stadium is also attracting a lot of attention.
This structure is aiming to become a dominant
feature in the city for another century. I wish all
these investment projects smooth progress in
the new year, and for all of us to lead happier lives
in Ostrava thanks to them. I wish everyone health
and happiness in the new year!
Mr. Mayor, thank you for the interview.
“
All of you did a great job
at handling it.
”
“
I am also very happy to say
that we are managing
to posively shi the general
consensus of Ostrava through
all the changes we are making.
”
Tex t: redakce
Foto: Statutární
město Ostrava