The legendary café on the banks of the Olše has returned to Č. Těšín

Kavárna Avion - original state

Czech Tesin - The legendary café Avion has returned to Czech Tesin, which operated from 1933 to 1939 on the banks of the Olše River. In the past, it was a meeting place for smuggling gangs and even singer-songwriter Jaromír Nohavica sang about it. The town hall built a new multifunctional building on its site, which includes a new café called Noiva. "The original name Avion cannot be used by the city because one of the local entrepreneurs has registered it," explained the city spokesperson Dorota Havlíková.
    The new multifunctional building with a reading room and a café, which ties into the famous establishment from Jaromír Nohavica's song, has recently opened to the public. "The opening also included the launch of a photography exhibition that maps the entire history of the café," said the spokesperson.
    The original café Avion was opened in 1933. The establishment quickly became the center of social and cultural life, and due to its location on the border, also a base for smugglers. In 1939, the building was damaged along with the nearby bridge, which was blown up by retreating Polish soldiers. The Germans quickly rebuilt the bridge. However, the rest of the café was dismantled because it had Jewish owners.
   

Noiva - current state

"After 1989, we were thinking with our Polish colleagues about a joint restoration of the center. We wanted the town centers on both sides of the border river to be connected and to go through modernization together," said the mayor of Czech Tesin Vít Slováček. He added that he sought inspiration in transformations similar to those seen in Strasbourg on the left bank of the Rhine alongside the German city of Kehl.
    According to Havlíková, the construction of the new building is part of the Revitalpark 2010 project, which should be fully completed during the summer. "This includes, on the Czech side, not only the construction of a building linked to the original Avion but also the revitalization of Masaryk's Parks, the reconstruction of the Friendship Bridge, the building of a retaining wall, and new sidewalks. The implementation of the entire Revitalpark 2010 project will cost more than 30 million crowns, with 85 percent of the costs paid by the European Union and contributions from the Czech state," stated Havlíková.