Uherské Hradiště plans extensive modifications to the Morava River waterfront

Uherské Hradiště - The town hall in Uherské Hradiště plans extensive modifications to the banks of the Morava River adjacent to the historic center of the city. The design of its revitalization will emerge from an urban-architectural competition, the announcement of which was approved by the council today. The mayor Stanislav Blaha (ODS) told reporters. The planned transformation of the neglected riverbank aims to lead to its revitalization and higher attractiveness for locals and visitors to the city.

"The riverbank should serve the residents primarily as a place to spend their free time. It can be for recreation, sports activities. The goal is for people to enjoy coming here and to have a reason to stop and stay. They should feel comfortable here," said Blaha.

The modifications will concern approximately a one-kilometer-long section of the riverbank from the buildings of the Moravian Water Management Authority at Moravní náměstí to the police station at Velehradská street. According to Aleš Holý, head of the city architect's office, the riverbank in its current form is very unappealing. "The place does not invite stopping or resting. No one has a date there because there is nowhere to go. All the facilities around, the gymnasium, the rowing club, are turned towards the river with blank walls. Whatever we do there will lead to the revitalization of the riverbank," stated Holý.

According to the city's vision, the riverbank should serve for active leisure as well as relaxation. Therefore, there should be furnishings such as benches, bins, public lighting or bike racks. Play elements for children, exercise machines, and artistic works should also be included, along with better access to the water. The plan also includes the construction of a footbridge over the Morava and partial modifications of the right bank in the local area of Rybárny.

The architectural competition will be officially announced on February 2. The deadline for submitting proposals is May 2. Concepts will be assessed and the winner will be chosen by a professional jury. The city plans to hold an exhibition of all proposals, which the public will also be able to view. "We want to get the best we can have. We are looking for solutions with a reasonable performance-to-price ratio," Blaha informed.

According to him, it is currently impossible to estimate the schedule of work or expected costs. They could range in the tens to hundreds of millions of crowns. The city intends to renovate the riverbank in stages, hoping to access European funding.

The town hall has been considering modifications to the riverbank since the 1990s. However, preparations were long halted in 1997 due to flooding. The city waited another 12 years for flood protection measures to be implemented.