Ostrava has announced a competition for a veterans' memorial for the second time

Ostrava – The city of Ostrava has announced a second art and architectural competition for the design of a planned veterans' memorial, which it aims to build in the reconstructed Čs. pilots park in the city center. Proposals can be submitted until April 21. This was announced today by the city hall spokesperson Andrea Vojkovská.

The original competition, announced last June, was canceled by the city in November, despite receiving 27 proposals. However, they did not meet the city's expectations. Ostrava required that the proposals be timeless and take into account the memory of veterans of both world wars, as well as veterans from modern military conflicts.

The new competition will be in two phases. The jury has already invited four creators directly to participate in the competition, which will still remain open to other interested parties. The jury has approached Ondřej Bělíca, Pavla Sceránková, Kateřina Šedá, and the duo Jan and Petr Stolín. In addition to them, four more participants will be added from the submitted portfolios.

"A total of eight individuals or teams will submit their proposals. The winner will be selected by the end of this year. The nine-member jury, which will include representatives from the city, the region, the central district, the Army of the Czech Republic, and experts, will be led by the chairman, artist, and educator Petr Dub," stated Vojkovská.

The memorial is intended for all fallen soldiers, currently commemorated by other memorials and plaques in various cities, districts, and municipalities, but also for modern veterans. The city aims for the memorial to be completed by October next year at the latest. The costs for its construction should not exceed 3.5 million crowns.

The memorial must be placed in a way that does not threaten surrounding memorial trees and does not damage other vegetation. Furthermore, according to the city's vision, it is not appropriate for it to be created at the expense of lawns. The park was renovated in 2018 and last year it received new furniture. The exact conditions of the competition can be found by interested parties on the website.