New Town Hall in Ostrava will be a national cultural monument from July

Ostrava – The dominant feature of Ostrava, the New Town Hall, will be listed as a national cultural monument on July 1. The building, constructed between 1925 and 1930, is still the largest town hall complex in the country. Its town hall tower, reaching a height of 86 meters, is also easily recognizable. According to Mayor Jan Dohnal, the listing is a prestigious matter.

"The fact that the New Town Hall will be on the list of national cultural monuments is good news for us. The building has historical value and to some extent, it's a matter of prestige; we will be on the list of national cultural monuments, we will appear on better tourist maps, and we will also gain better opportunities within the grant policy. If we ever want to undertake a really significant renovation of the building, we will be able to access funds earmarked for national cultural monuments, which we currently do not have the opportunity to do," stated Dohnal.

The New Town Hall was already a cultural monument, so according to the mayor, being listed as a national cultural monument will not mean significant changes during potential repairs. "It was already under protected status before, so all the renovations that took place here were in the regime of being a monument," Dohnal pointed out.

The New Town Hall building near Komenský Sady was ceremoniously opened on October 28, 1930. The two-winged building with a lookout tower was created according to a joint project by Brno architect Vladimír Fischer and Ostrava builders František Kolář and Jan Rubý. The interiors were designed by Ostrava architect Karel Kotas. "The construction costs exceeded 50 million crowns. This amount was practically equal to all the annual revenues of the then regular (non-investment) municipal budget," stated the spokesperson for the city hall, Gabriela Pokorná.

The New Town Hall was built in the functionalist style. It is adorned with four life-sized bronze statues positioned above the main façade, representing allegories of mining, science, commerce, and metallurgy. Inside, an interesting technical monument is the functional paternoster lift in the southern wing. The main credit for the construction of the building goes to the then mayor Jan Prokeš, after whom the square in front of the building is named.