Hodonín continues the restoration of areas affected by the tornado

An important catalyst for the recovery of Hodonín was a financial donation of 150 million Czech crowns, which was given to the city by the family foundation of the Komárek couple (KKFF Foundation). Karel Komárek is a local native and has had a strong personal connection to the affected area since childhood. In addition to financial assistance, the foundation contributes to the recovery of the city with its rich methodological and organizational experience. The participants of the meeting learned that the second Komárek foundation – the Karel Komárek Transformation Foundation – which has been operating since 2006, will merge with the KKFF Foundation starting in July. The "ending" foundation is known to both experts and the general public for its many successful results in the renovation of public spaces across the Czech Republic.

Since this was already the third meeting of representatives from the city, the foundation, and involved architects, the event had the character of a working consultation where individual teams updated each other on the current phase of their projects. Following the opening and greetings from the mayor of Hodonín, Libor Střecha, and Luboš Veselý, director of the KKFF Foundation, there was a presentation by Tereza Kleinerová from the department of urban development, providing an overview of the project plan for twenty actions in an almost 70-hectare area, including their anticipated investment costs and a map of the locality. The urban development department not only coordinates the individual teams within the designated area but also ensures the integration of the developed infrastructure into the city-wide systems and oversees the financial and qualitative aspects of the recovery.

The eight most significant projects

The meeting provided detailed information about the eight most fundamental projects. Since some of them began before the disaster – which required necessary supplementation and total revision – it was possible for the first time to invite attendees to a ceremonial opening, specifically for the House of Nature of Hodonín’s Dúbrava and its garden, which will be accessible to the first visitors on June 1. The renovation of the former housing estate kindergarten into an eco-center with educational and research ambitions was managed by the Brno studio Flying Engineers, whose chief architect Tomáš Havlíček presented photos of the newly completed building during the meeting.

An exhibition based on the design by architect Roman Strnad from The Büro studio has also been completed. The adjacent garden, harmonizing with the nearby national natural monument of Hodonín Dúbrava, is incredibly tempting, with its design by landscape architects from Atelier per partes. Present at the meeting, Lukáš Lattenberg provided insights into the challenging implementation of the garden, which paradoxically took place during the winter months, through his time-lapse photo report.

Regional significance sports facility

The recovery of the Sports Complex U Červených domků and the surrounding city park U Červených domků is recognized as the largest and financially most demanding project. Architects David Šrom and Václav Štojdl from the Brno studio PROAM ARCHITEKTI presented the plan for a new grandstand for the facility at the Open Garden, with parameters that will meet the criteria for hosting sports competitions at the European level. As the visualizations were projected, attendees held their breath, and it was evident that this implementation would bring regional significance to Hodonín. The concept for the adjacent park was clarified by landscape architect Jitka Tomsová from Atelier Rouge.

A city for everyone

Undoubtedly, a pleasant highlight was the presentation by architect Osamu Okamura, who, together with Milota Sidorová, Zdeněk Sendler, and Pavlína Macháčková, is creating a new expert panel for the KKFF Foundation. Okamura selected several provocative topics from his book "A City for Everyone: A Beginner's Urbanist Manual" and used examples from around the world to spark a passionate discussion about the issues facing contemporary cities.

The book, originally aimed at a children’s audience, has also received positive feedback from local politicians. It appears that awareness of public space, community work, city management principles, and other related topics is not deeply rooted in society and would be appropriately included in basic school curricula.

Challenges for landscape architects

The adjustments to public spaces in front of the Primary School U Červených domků (ateliér Arkytek), and at the Integrated Secondary School Hodonín (Helena Růžičková) are smaller projects in scale but will significantly impact the daily lives of many young people once completed. Therefore, landscape architects ensure that students find ample space for informal meetings and leisure activities.

A genuine challenge for landscape architects is the rebirth of the Dúbrava forest park, the so-called Cuprus Forest Bažantnice. Landscape architects from Atelier per partes are searching for a balance between nature protection and the growing desire of citizens for active recreation. The forest park is located between the housing estate and the national natural monument, a reality that will undoubtedly bring about a number of compromises on both sides. The realization is in full swing; therefore, Daniel Matějka, co-founder of the aforementioned atelier, could already present the audience with a number of interesting moments and ideas. Reviving the suburban forest is a matter of years, and the architects' meeting clearly showed how demanding and prolonged the overall reclamation of the tornado-affected landscape would be.

The symbolic conclusion that closed the colorful array of presentations was the project by architects and landscape architects from the Brno studio MAAUS: Miroslava Zadražilová, Martin Horký, and Martin Jetelina. The team proposed a new Children's Town on the site of the destroyed camp, which, once completed, will become a recreational paradise for the youngest residents of Hodonín. A variety of activities, including the destroyed forest kindergarten, a scout clubhouse, and other associations, should return to the "settlement in the forest." The main building will include a lecture space. A meadow with a fire pit will be the central element of the area, sensitively recalling the original children's camp destroyed by the disaster. Tree planting in the town has already begun, and the city plans to start the construction of the pavilions at the end of this year.

The presented projects revealed that everyone involved in the recovery of Bažantnice is doing a tremendous amount of work. The volume of investments, significant for a city of twenty-five thousand inhabitants, could not proceed without the grant from the KKFF Foundation and state support. The meeting also repeatedly addressed the themes of the long-term sustainability of the individual projects, most of which will be managed by the city itself, while voices from other parts of Hodonín are already calling for attention to be given not only to the situation in the tornado-hit Bažantnice. If all projects can be funded and maintained in the future, Hodonín will be an example of a city that seized a natural disaster as an impetus for the development and recovery of its civic infrastructure. It is already worthwhile to visit Hodonín and admire the trends of contemporary landscape architecture.