Demolition of Mila has begun, a new district called Šantovka will be built in Olomouc

Olomouc - The area of the former Milo in Olomouc has begun to be demolished. Renáta Kodadová from the investment company ING Real Estate Development told ČTK today that these are preparatory demolition works. By 2015, the former factory producing soap and vegetable fats will be transformed into a residential district close to the historic city center called Šantovka. The project documentation for the zoning decision should be available to the investor in the fall.
The former Milo factory will be replaced by apartment buildings, including administrative, shopping, and entertainment facilities. Costs will exceed ten billion crowns. "We are still counting on the fact that a new tram line will also lead to this area," Kodadová stated.
Construction activity will be preceded by an archaeological survey. According to Pavel Michna from the Olomouc office of the National Heritage Institute, the first phase will begin in the coming days. "Given the extraordinary scope of the excavations and the number of other necessary tasks, we must seek help from Archaia Olomouc, which will take over the survey by agreement," he said. Archaeologists expect to find primarily fragments of the 18th-century Theresian fortress. It cannot be ruled out that remains of a medieval settlement, which disappeared in the 17th century due to the construction of the Olomouc fortress, are hidden beneath the foundations of the Milo factories.
The Olomouc city hall confirmed that it is postponing the construction of a flood protection embankment on the adjacent Šantova Street. Deputy Mayor Martin Major said that the city hall is waiting to see what the project for the entire area will look like. "It makes no sense for the embankment to end in one of the buildings or to be far from the bed of the Mlýnský stream," Major said. The embankment, costing 5.6 million crowns, is to have a cycling path on its top.
Last year, a diversion canal of the Morava River was completed in the vicinity of the twelve-hectare site. The investment, which included the construction of new bridges and roundabouts, cost 539 million crowns. Costs were primarily covered by the Morava River Authority and the Olomouc Region. Milo stopped production in this location in 2004.