The Fiducia Club will recall urban planner Camillo Sitte with a puzzle in Ostrava

Ostrava - The Antiquarian and Club Fiducia will commemorate the Viennese urbanist Camillo Sitte in Ostrava on Monday, who designed the concept of the Přívoz urban district. On the 180th anniversary of his birth, they will unveil a leaflet by Sitte in Svatopluk Čech Square in Přívoz, and there will also be a church service and a lecture. Ilona Rozehnalová, the operator of the Fiducia club, informed ČTK today.

Sitte contributed to the urban planning of several Czech cities, such as Děčín, Liberec, and Teplice, but his impact is most significant in Ostrava. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, in addition to Přívoz, he also created the concepts for Mariánské Hory and Moravská Ostrava. "His realization in Přívoz is among the unique projects in the world, and Svatopluk Čech Square is an urban gem of Ostrava," Rozehnalová stated.

Sitte not only designed the concept of Přívoz but also contributed to the decoration of its landmark - the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary - as a painter and modeler. He was also responsible for the neighboring rectory and the new Přívoz Town Hall, which now houses the archive. "Sitte created a generously designed project for Přívoz that combines architecture with perfect artistic craftsmanship," stated the beautification association Za krásnou Ostravu.

The Central City District of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz recently presented a fully renovated listed building at the corner of Chopinova and U Tiskárny streets in this area. Following the renovation, it offers six apartments and three non-residential spaces. "For Monday’s celebration of Sitte, the district repaired the commemorative pedestal in Přívoz Square, which was broken," Rozehnalová added.

The unveiling of Sitte's leaflet will begin on Monday at 3:00 PM. "We have prepared a special workshop for children," Rozehnalová said. At 4:00 PM, there will be a church service at the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, accompanied by music from the Mercedes band with Michal Žáček and Jiří Krátký. Afterward, people will have the opportunity to tour the church. At 5:20 PM, in the hall of the Ostrava Sports Union in the square, there will be a lecture by Martin Strakoš and Romana Rosová titled The Work of Architect Camillo Sitte and the New Center of Přívoz: Church, Town Hall, Square.

Rozehnalová indicated that Sitte's leaflet is the first of a new educational project by Fiducia, the Ostrava Cultural Trail. "Through short, attractive texts online and in printed leaflets, we will introduce the public in 2023 to at least five areas of the most interesting aspects of Ostrava's architecture and culture," she explained.

According to her, Fiducia was inspired by other cities that present the best of their culture to the public in an understandable form, such as so-called infobrochures, which are small A4-format leaflets. Following Sitte, there will be a trail in May tracing the footsteps of the first Czech mayor of Ostrava, Jan Prokeš. "We would also like to create an Ostrava Roma trail and explore other themes this year," Rozehnalová added.

The Antiquarian and Club Fiducia is among the best-known independent cultural centers in Ostrava and the entire Moravian-Silesian Region. They will work with the Ostrava archive, heritage protection officials, the Ostrava Museum, and universities on the preparation of the leaflets and online version.