VÍTKOVICE and NPÚ signed a memorandum on the future of the unique industrial monument "blast furnace"

The historical technical gem of Ostrava bearing the title “European Heritage”, which includes the blast furnaces and other monumentally protected objects in the so-called Lower Vítkovice area, has clarity about its future. The engineering company VÍTKOVICE, a.s., the owner of the national cultural monument, and the National Heritage Institute today signed a memorandum in Ostrava regarding a joint approach to the restoration and new use of this unique technical monument. The goal is to preserve the values of the site while making it accessible and revitalized for the public, not only for tourists but also for students, scientists, artists, and the citizens of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region.

“Our common interest is that these currently non-functional, yet valuable, industrial objects become both a historical and a cultural and social asset. All of this while closely collaborating with Vítkovice as the owner to enable the overall reconstruction of the national cultural monument while respecting all principles of heritage protection,” stated the Director General of the National Heritage Institute, Naděžda Goryczková.
According to Jan Světlík, the General Director and Chairman of the Board of VÍTKOVICE, the agreement also stipulates that the owners will not seek to reduce the scope of the national cultural monument, and its definition will remain intact. “The regeneration plans, as we have presented them, are, in our opinion, solvable through consultations and mutual agreement, so a reduction in the area scope will not be necessary,” he explained.
The National Heritage Institute and VÍTKOVICE are united in the belief that some objects should be transformed for new functions, others should be sensitively integrated into the grounds and repaired as gently as possible, and for some, it will be possible to decide together on their purpose or removal, because they are not essential to the national cultural monument.
The most valuable objects, however, should, thanks to joint efforts, become restored gems of industrial history and architecture. Blast furnace No. 1 will be transformed into a technical “educational trail” (with descriptions of the places and processes that took place within them) and a tour route with a view over Ostrava will be built on it. The gas holder will, under the hands of architect Josef Pleskot, become a conference center with a capacity of up to 1500 seats. The so-called VI. energy center should, according to a study by renowned architects, the husband-and-wife team Helena and Václav Zemánek, undergo regeneration into an interactive museum, teaching space, and special laboratories, where direct interactive teaching in technical fields should take place, among other things. The spaces are intended to be utilized by both the city of Ostrava and the Moravian-Silesian Region, as well as schools and universities located in the area.
“We respect that the objects of the national cultural monument should not be an insurmountable burden for the owner, nor a financial one, which is why we also offer consultation on plans and projects for requests for European funds under the relevant Integrated Operational Program,” added NPÚ Director Goryczková. The next joint step for VÍTKOVICE and NPÚ will now be, in fact, a consultation on developed projects for requests for EU grants.
The area of the blast furnaces in the Lower Vítkovice region became part of the prestigious list of European landmarks, architecturally and historically valued monuments marked as “European Heritage” at the end of last year, when VÍTKOVICE simultaneously celebrated its 180th anniversary. The industrial objects in Ostrava have thus entered a network of cultural monuments, natural or urban locations, and significant landmarks that speak of history and European culture. Additionally, the European Heritage project focuses on the circumstances and personalities connected with historical sites, on visions, and the entire genius loci.
For the engineering company VÍTKOVICE, the inclusion of the blast furnaces and related monumentally protected objects on the list of European Cultural Heritage serves as support for their long-term efforts to revitalize the so-called Lower Vítkovice area, which, in addition to the blast furnaces, contains a whole range of other historically valuable objects, as well as vibrant, developing companies and brownfield areas awaiting revitalization. The group has prepared an extensive development and growth project called New Vítkovice, which will create a modern phenomenon of Ostrava over an area of 253 hectares and bring around 60 billion in investments to the metropolis of the Moravian-Silesian Region.

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History of the VÍTKOVICE Company
The founder of the ironworks in Vítkovice was in 1828 the Archbishop of Olomouc, Archduke Rudolf. The operations of the then Rudolf's forge began in the autumn of 1830 with the firing of the first puddling furnace in the Austrian monarchy. In 1835 the ironworks were leased to a group of main shareholders of the Northern Railway Ferdinand's construction and began producing railway materials. The first coking blast furnace in the monarchy was blown in here in 1836.
In 1843, the ironworks was acquired by the Vienna banker Salomon Mayer Rothschild. Under the new owner, the Vítkovice ironworks soon achieved a high level of technical equipment and top quality production. The plant expanded dynamically, and new types of products were introduced. In addition to railway materials, steam engines and bridges, mining tools and machines for forges were produced.
With the establishment of the Vítkovice mining and metallurgical company in 1873, the co-owners of the ironworks and mines became the Gutmann brothers. A distinguished manager, Paul Kupelwieser, was appointed as the General Director of the company. He reorganized the ironworks, expanded operations, and introduced new technologies. The first pipe rolling mill in Austria was built here in the Vítkovice ironworks in 1883. A new plant for cast steel was built, and in the 1890s, production of armored plates for the construction of warships and the production of bent ship crankshafts began.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, Vítkovice was at the forefront of European ironworks both in the high level of its technical equipment and in the volume of production and low production costs. A new steelworks and rolling mill were put into operation. Steel bottles, gears, and gearboxes started to be produced.
During the interwar period, a network of sales offices and commercial representations was established worldwide. The range of products expanded significantly, with unique products including a two-tier bridge over the Old Dnipro in Kyiv and a giant spherical gas holder in Prague - Libeň.
After the war, the national enterprise ensured supplies for the reconstruction of Czechoslovak industry and bridge construction. It was the largest steel producer in the republic. A decisive share of the engineering production was designated for the construction of the New Forge in Kunčice, but also for other metallurgical enterprises.
From 1979, Vítkovice was an industrial enterprise, which was associated with six domestic engineering organizations. After two years, the industrial enterprise transformed into a concern, and in 1989, a state company was established. The joint-stock company VÍTKOVICE was founded in February 1992. The organization of the enterprise continually transformed, daughter companies arose, and many of them were privatized.
After the government issued a decision in February 2003 that the company VÍTKOVICE, a.s., could be privatized, the company passed into the hands of LAHVÁRNY OSTRAVA, a.s., in August of the same year (this company later changed its name to VÍTKOVICE HOLDING, a.s.).