The reconstruction of the former slaughterhouse will begin in Ostrava in the spring

Ostrava - The reconstruction of the historic building of the former slaughterhouse in the center of Ostrava will begin in spring. The city council selected the winning company Zlínstav from six applicants in a public competition, which will repair the slaughterhouse for 170 million crowns excluding VAT. The city will pay for the repair from its budget. This was stated to reporters today by Deputy Mayor Zuzana Bajgarová (ANO).

"Construction should begin at the turn of March and April after all conditions are fulfilled by the selected contractor. It is expected to take place in 2020 and 2021," said Bajgarová. The facility will become the new base for the city gallery Plato and an exhibition space for contemporary art. Opening is planned for the beginning of 2022.

The heritage-protected building will be redesigned according to the proposal of the Polish studio KWK Promes by architect Robert Konieczny, which emerged from the architectural competition held in 2017. The city expected the transformation to cost around 150 million.

"The design has undergone certain changes during its development compared to the initial assumption that emerged from the architectural competition," said Bajgarová. "Part of the building must be completely removed and rebuilt due to very poor statics," she reminded. The original building will have reconstructed walls, while the extension will be made of concrete.

The modern art gallery will transform five interconnected parts of the building of various ages - the original cold storage (1891), new cold storage (1902), pig slaughterhouse (1902), and covered atrium (1954). The project also includes the demolition of a dilapidated operational building from 1926 and its new construction. Six future exhibition halls can be interconnected or can operate independently. Thanks to movable walls, the outdoor space will be integrated into the exhibition area. The building will also include offices, meeting rooms, and a bistro. "For the city and for me personally, this is a relatively significant moment; some have even lost hope that it would reach this stage. I remind you that it is a significant cultural and historical monument," said Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO).

In 1994, the municipal district of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz sold two hectares of land along with the slaughterhouses to the company Bauhaus for more than 38 million. The company built a hobby market in close proximity to the slaughterhouse. However, the slaughterhouse deteriorated and was never repaired, and the store also ceased to operate. The city long tried to reacquire the protected slaughterhouse, ultimately taking over in September 2017. It paid 80 million crowns for the slaughterhouse and the former Bauhaus store.