The demolition company has already removed the upper floor of the Opava high-rise building

Opava - The demolition company has already removed the top floor of the seven-story high-rise building from the 1970s in the center of Opava. The remaining six floors of the unsightly panel building, which was once used by the Ministry of Agriculture, are being cut down by giant scissors. Roman Konečný, the spokesman for the city, said this to ČTK today. An shopping center is planned to be built in the open space in the future. The developer also plans to construct on the adjacent park.
    "The upper floor no longer exists. The company has dismantled it, and the crane lowered the individual parts to the ground," said the spokesman. However, this week the technology changed. The concrete structures are being demolished by giant demolition scissors. "They are cutting the building apart. Pieces are falling to the ground, where excavators then load them onto trucks," described Konečný.
    Demolition began on January 5. However, it took several weeks for the work to become visible from the outside. For some time, preparatory work occupied the team. Workers first had to dismantle furniture around the building. This involved several benches, a statue, and several public lighting poles. Then the construction site had to be fenced. This was followed by the creation of hardened areas, access roads, and clearing out the interior spaces of the building.
    The building belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture, which transferred it to the city two years ago. Opava is obliged to have the structure demolished by 2016. This arises from the contract the city signed in 2005 with the development company Crestyl, which plans to develop the land under the building and the neighboring parks. The demolition costs are expected to exceed ten million crowns. According to the agreement, the developer will pay nine million crowns, as they wish to construct a shopping center there.
    The company remains interested in the project, even though a large shopping complex was recently completed in the city center. A large shopping center called Breda & Weinstein was opened in the area of the abandoned brewery in the autumn of 2012. The name reflects the history of the popular but now decaying department store Breda. The space, over 25,000 square meters, offers space for more than 100 stores, a multiplex cinema with six screens, restaurants, and a café.
    The park near Horní náměstí was created in 1945. At that time, the buildings destroyed during the war were demolished. Some residents of the city oppose its development. They wish for it to remain a recreational area. A petition to stop the project was signed by 1,300 people in 2011.