In Ostrava, you can see the renovated building of the former slaughterhouse

Ostrava – The reconstructed building of the former slaughterhouse in the center of Ostrava will be open to the public from today. Interested parties will be able to familiarize themselves with the transformation of the heritage-protected building throughout the month, and starting in September, the contemporary art gallery Plato will operate within it. The total costs of transforming the building, including its purchase, were nearly 345 million Czech crowns. City representatives and other institutions involved in the building's rescue told journalists today.

The building is the first in the city whose transformation resulted from an architectural competition. The reconstruction took more than two years, and finishing works will continue for several more weeks. "This is one of the key projects of our strategic plan adopted in 2016 under the brand fajnOVA. The purpose of this project is to return a historically valuable building to public life after decades of decay. An added value is that the creation and implementation of this project was strongly supported by civil society. Another added value is that this project will become the basis for a new urban quarter that will be developed in the surrounding area over the next few years," said Mayor Tomáš Macura.

Notable features of the transformation include rotating gates as well as brick walls, which constitute not only the majority of the perimeter walls but also part of the interior. All original bricks that could be left in the building have been retained. New bricks have been patinated to resemble the original masonry. The interior is dominated by white color, and design concrete plaster is used in several places.

"In the rescue of the heritage-protected slaughterhouse, we really dealt with various situations that a building over 100 years old, decaying for decades, can bring. The restoration process was somewhat slowed down by the pandemic situation, but more by the necessity to find specific procedures. The work is not yet finished, especially with the exterior façade of the building being completed and other flaws and unfinished work being addressed, which do not impede the use of the building. Complete finishing, including outfitting the interior, will continue in the summer so that the Plato gallery can start its activity with the first exhibition in September of this year," said Deputy Mayor Zuzana Bajgarová (ANO). She noted that the adjustment of the area around the gallery will continue until autumn. The costs will exceed 48 million crowns.

The author of the architectural design for the reconstruction is the Polish studio KWK Promes led by Robert Konieczny. After reconstruction, the building includes five exhibition halls, functioning independently and in conjunction with each other. In addition to exhibition spaces and facilities for managing the gallery, the building also has accommodation capacity for visitors and a café. The building houses a special hall equipped with technological devices that allow the exhibition of old artworks. "The building was really beautiful; it reminded me of a brick palace. We treated the flaws as a value that testifies to the identity of this place, which should not be concealed but revealed. We preserved the character of the weathered bricks and filled large holes in the walls with contemporary material. Furthermore, we intended to maintain the functionality of open spaces as shortcuts connecting the gallery's interior with the city. Thanks to a mechanical mechanism, the heavy wall constructions can rotate and open the exhibition spaces from the outside," Konieczny stated.

During the month of open doors, people can view the building with two prepared exhibitions until June 10. The building will also be accessible during the July Colours of Ostrava festival, and from September it will fully serve the needs of the gallery.

The building was opened in 1881, and the operation of the slaughterhouse ended in 1965. In 1994, the municipal district of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz sold the two-hectare land along with the former slaughterhouse building to the company Bauhaus for more than 38 million crowns. The company built a DIY market very close to the slaughterhouse. However, the slaughterhouse fell into disrepair, and the store also ceased operations. The city then spent years striving to repurchase it.