Forty applicants registered for the competition for the further use of Opava's Bredy, only five continue.

Opava – A total of 40 applicants from the Czech Republic and abroad have registered for the international architectural competition aimed at finding a new use for the heritage-protected building of the former Breda department store in Opava. The jury, composed of representatives from the city and industry personalities, selected only five candidates who can continue working. All of them will visit the building this Friday. Martin Kůs from the city's press department said this to ČTK today.

The public contract announced in the form of a competitive dialogue was declared by the city at the end of October. "A total of 40 entities expressed interest in proposing future modifications and uses of the building with a rich history. The interest was surprising, as alongside prominent Czech firms, many foreign companies sought the opportunity to collaborate in breathing new life into this Opava icon," he stated. The jury evaluated the applicants and selected five entities from both the Czech Republic and abroad.

Before they start further work, the city council of Opava and the competition administrator invited them to tour the former Breda department store building. "The tour will take place on December 15. Our aim is for those who will continue working on specific proposals to gain not only more detailed information about the heritage and technical limits of the building but also the opportunity to walk through the spaces, discover their original layout and purpose, as well as the current state and absorb the atmosphere that this unique building still has," said Petr Stanjura, the chief architect of the city of Opava. The competition will then continue. The subsequent second round will determine the finalists, and the city will receive final proposals by April 26, 2024.

Last year, the city purchased the building from 1928 for nearly 40 million crowns. It has already started rescue work, with the roof that was leaking repaired. This year, the replacement of 150 windows will begin, followed by a renovation of the façade. Experts, including conservationists, had a long dispute about whether to restore the original windows or to produce replicas. Ultimately, they decided on replicas. The reason was not only the cost; in the case of repairs, the company could not guarantee the functionality of the windows.

When it opened in 1928, Breda was the largest department store in the Republic. The building, constructed in 1927 from the reconstruction of the original department store, had long fallen into disrepair. The cultural heritage site, which belonged to the bankrupt firm of entrepreneur Kamil Kola, was acquired by the city for 39.5 million crowns. The total costs for reconstruction had originally been estimated at around 300 million crowns a few years ago, but they are now 200 million higher. The annual operating costs for the building with 10,000 m² are expected to be around 17.7 million crowns.