Ostrava has an conceptual proposal for the upcoming Public Transport Museum

Ostrava - Ostrava already has an conceptual design for the upcoming Public Transport Museum, which is to be located in close proximity to the main train station in the future. In addition to the exhibition space, the area is also expected to offer outdoor attractions and be utilized year-round, said today to journalists the councilor for transport, Lukáš Semerák (Ostravak).

The city was most interested in the conceptual design by the Austrian studio BWM Architekten, for which the city paid 133,000 crowns excluding VAT. The museum is to be established on a site bounded by Špálova and Wattova streets. "Today, it is an area that has historically been industrial; its foundation is a kind of triple hall, which is a building about a hundred years old. From the beginning, we emphasized that the museum should not just be a mere exhibition of transport technology, but really contain elements that would be able to attract visitors of all generations, ideally families with children," stated Semerák.

He anticipates that work will now proceed on a more detailed version of the conceptual design, which should be completed in the second quarter of next year.

Construction of the museum, which should be built in phases, could begin in 2019. "The most positive aspect of the conceptual design is that it largely respects the existing buildings. In other words, it saves a considerable amount of construction costs," believes Semerák.

However, he could not yet estimate the total costs of building the museum. "The proposal also contains a kind of educational component, so we will have the ambition to finance part of the museum and the exhibition from sources other than municipal funds," said Semerák.

He reminded that the Ostrava Transport Company has a very high-quality and extensive collection of historical means of transport. However, they are not permanently displayed; the transport company only shows them on various occasions or uses them, for example, during historical rides. "It is a pity to leave them somewhere in a garage, so that the general public cannot see them," added Semerák.