Ostrava is likely to regain the former city slaughterhouse after years of effort

Ostrava - The city of Ostrava is likely to purchase the building of the former DIY store Bauhaus along with the adjacent area of the former municipal slaughterhouse, which is a protected monument, after several years of effort. They will pay approximately 80 million crowns for it. Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO) said this to reporters today. The city council must make a final decision on the purchase next week.

According to Macura, the city has been seeking to buy back the slaughterhouse for nearly ten years. The new city leadership has been negotiating the purchase since last summer, when it resumed talks with the owner of the area. "I am glad that we have now reached the stage where the city council has accepted the materials recommending the municipal assembly to conclude the purchase contract for the area, which includes both the Bauhaus store and the adjacent parking lot as well as the historic slaughterhouse building," the mayor noted.

The city plans to use both properties for cultural purposes. The former DIY store will house the City Gallery Plato, which currently operates in the multifunctional hall Gong in the Lower Vítkovice area and will become a new contribution organization of the city in July.

"Plato can move into Bauhaus sometime in the fall. The store requires relatively minor modifications, so it will go very quickly," Macura believes. The adjustments could cost around five million crowns.

In the case of the historic slaughterhouse building, however, the situation will be more complicated, as the city first needs to have a structural assessment done. "We will need to have a restoration project developed for that building. However, the intention is to preserve the historical character of the building; moreover, it is of course a protected monument. Regarding this slaughterhouse building, we intend to use it for cultural purposes as some kind of exhibition space, both interior and exterior. We plan to build a certain area around it for street art, that is outdoor art," said Macura.

According to him, negotiations for the purchase were complicated. Expert opinions from the past indicated that the value of the area is about 130 million crowns. The city is now purchasing the area for just under 80 million crowns, even though according to the latest expert opinion, its value exceeds 90 million crowns. If the assembly gives a positive opinion, the city will pay the amount in one lump sum from the budget surplus. The mayor expects that the city could become the owner of the properties during the summer.