After twelve years, the Elektra café was opened in Ostrava

Ostrava - The Elektra café has returned to Ostrava. The legendary establishment, which was once visited by figures like Jan Werich and Oldřich Nový, now also functions as a bank. Visitors will see a number of artworks in its interior that have been hidden for years in the deposit of the Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava. Monika Veselá shared this information on behalf of the café's operators.
      The interior of the new Elektra café was designed by Brno architect Petr Hrůša. He did not want to create a copy of the famous establishment from 1926; instead, he used modern trends. However, some details and materials used significantly resemble the First Republic café. "The interior features not only the railing on the gallery inspired by original details or the generous, large glass-arched windows, but especially the giant ceiling relief made of gold leaf," Hrůša stated.
      In addition to the golden interior, visitors can also look forward to other works of art. "We are collaborating with the House of Art in Ostrava. Therefore, visitors of the Elektra café will see true artistic gems that have been in storage for a long time and have been waiting for suitable spaces," the spokesperson said. The artworks will be changed every six months. Paintings by František Tichý, Otakar Nejedlý, Václav Špála, Karel Černý, Bedřich Dlouhý, and Otakar Kubín will be exhibited.
      The Elektra Palace was built between 1924 and 1926. It was originally named the Mining House. The building housed miners and other entrepreneurs, and there was a busy café with a reading room facing Nádražní Street. Until the early 90s, there was also a cinema. In the 90s, the café was renovated and operated until 2001.
      This was followed by a battle between conservationists and other investors and interested parties. One, for example, considered building a car dealership in the premises, which was not able to proceed. Eventually, the spaces were rented by people who began to establish a Mexican restaurant in the former café in an unregulated and unauthorized manner. The building authority of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz issued a permit for the renovation of the former café's interior only in 2005.
      The restaurant Hacienda Mexicana, built illegally and without a completion permit, managed to get legalized after nearly two years of operation. The same building authority had previously fined the original owner 300,000 crowns and even ordered the illegal construction to be removed. The owner of the property appealed, and the Ostrava city council annulled the building authority’s decision. Some time ago, the operators abandoned the restaurant, and the space became available.
      The idea to restore a traditional historical café in Ostrava came from representatives of J&T Bank. The entire lower floor will be open to the public. In the second floor, there will be spaces for the bank, its employees, and clients. The costs for the reconstruction reached several tens of millions of crowns. The café will be open to the public starting Friday morning. The operating hours are set from 08:00 to 20:00. The operators do not currently plan to operate over the weekend.