The regional library could be located in the Lower Vítkovice area

Ostrava - The new Moravian-Silesian Scientific Library in Ostrava could be built in the heritage-protected area of the Lower Vítkovice Industrial Site. It would come into existence by converting the original coke battery according to the design of architect Josef Pleskot, who is working on transforming the entire industrial area. The construction of the library is estimated to cost half a billion crowns, said Jan Světlík, chairman of the board of VÍTKOVICE HOLDING, to reporters today. This is about half less than the original planned cost of the new library building, for which the region did not receive money from the state.
    The library would be built in the area between national cultural monuments, blast furnaces, and the Hlubina Mine by the Lower Vítkovice association, whose members are companies from the VÍTKOVICE MACHINERY GROUP and VSB - Technical University of Ostrava.
    "After the region abandoned the construction of the library nicknamed the black cube, we sought a location for this institution in the Lower Vítkovice area. Architect Pleskot ultimately came up with the solution - the conversion of the coke battery," Světlík told ČTK, who is also the chairman of the association's board.
    According to him, the construction costs of the library should not exceed 500 million crowns. The original new building according to the design by the Brno studio KUBA & PILAŘ architects was to cost 1.1 billion crowns. "The multi-layered complex of existing batteries allows for the construction of a library that would resemble a book, at much more reasonable costs. The entire infrastructure is already built there," added Světlík.
    According to him, the association has not yet considered the form of cooperation with the Moravian-Silesian region, which is its partner. "Everything is still in the study phase. But fundamentally, it is good that this institution has more alternatives and does not have to accept some bad solution," said Světlík, noting that the project for the entire coke plant, which will include the library, will be presented to representatives of the region in January.
    This is one of three proposals for solving the construction of the scientific library that the region has received so far, said Šárka Vlčková, spokeswoman for the regional office, to ČTK. Among them is an offer from Red House Development, which owns a deteriorating unfinished building next to the regional office in Ostrava, nicknamed the skeleton. "The regional leadership will consider all offers at the beginning of next year," said the spokeswoman.
    The library in the Lower Vítkovice area is part of Pleskot's study of an area where people will meet, among other places, on terraces, wide staircases, and ramps. "A transitional zone will be created, which will include a spatial house with a library, understandable to people," the architect told ČTK. The revitalized area with streets will replace the existing massive wall of coke ovens that has so far separated the blast furnace area and the former mine. The proposal for the so-called coke plant was presented by the architect in Ostrava for the first time today.
    The association will invest over a billion crowns in the transformation of the industrial Lower Vítkovice area next year. The restoration of historical sites began last October when the European Union and the state contributed a grant of 500 million crowns. The first to be reconstructed or to start reconstruction are the giant gas holder, which will be transformed into a congress center, one of the three blast furnaces, which will have an educational tour route, and the sixth energy central which will become a museum. This will be part of the unique World of Technology for nearly a billion crowns.