Ostrava will support the construction of the Black Cube, the headquarters of the scientific library, with 150 million

Ostrava - The city of Ostrava will support the construction of the so-called Black Cube with 150 million crowns, which is to be the new headquarters of the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library. The provision of the grant to the region stems from a memorandum from 2018, which the city concluded with the region and the Ministry of Culture. The city councilors decided on the support today.

"We are very pleased that the long-delayed project of the new Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library is finally progressing toward realization, and after many decades, it will leave its provisional and hardly dignified premises. Let's remember that the original design by architects (Ladislav) Kuba and (Tomáš) Pilař, which came from an architectural competition, dates back to 2004. Its concept remains timeless, even though it had to be significantly revised to reflect the developments in technology and librarianship. I believe that the new library, as a center of education and digitalization, will have an impact beyond Ostrava and the region itself," said Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO).

The creation of new facilities for the scientific library has been discussed in the regional capital for several years. The scientific library has been located since its inception in 1951 in inadequate rented spaces in the New Town Hall on Prokeš Square in Ostrava. The original project of the Black Cube was never realized due to high costs, and the region later decided to abandon it, with discussions also about a possible location for the new building in the Lower Vítkovice area. However, in 2019, the regional leadership decided to update the project documentation for the new building so that the project would meet the current requirements of the library and modern trends.

"The Moravian-Silesian Region is suffering from a brain drain. To change this, it must offer sufficiently attractive living and working conditions to young educated people. The Black Cube – a center of digitalization, science, and innovation – as an attractive place for students and business representatives to meet and discuss professional topics, could help with that," said Governor Ivo Vondrák (ANO). He reminded that it is a financially demanding project.

Currently, the costs of construction are around two billion crowns, and the building is planned for the years 2023 to 2027. The new library is to be a modern educational institution that will develop and apply innovations in the field of librarianship. In addition to the digitalization of the current library collection, digitized documents and artifacts from regional libraries, museums, and galleries will also be created and subsequently made accessible to the public.

Approximately 900 people visit the Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library daily. However, its premises are inadequate for such a high number of visitors. There is also a problem with humidity in the basement storage areas. The capacity for the library collection has also been filled, so additional publications must be placed outside the New Town Hall.

Just as today city councilors supported the region in the construction of the library, last week regional councilors approved support for the city for the construction of a concert hall. Regional councilors agreed to support with 300 million crowns. Some opposition councilors pointed out today that the region's contribution to the construction of the concert hall should be higher, as it will serve not only the people from Ostrava. According to the mayor, the city wants to continue negotiations with the region about a possible increase in support.