The proposals for the transformation of the historical slaughterhouse will be known in Ostrava in April

Ostrava - The city will know the competition entries for the transformation of the historical building of the former slaughterhouse near the center of Ostrava in April. Ten architectural firms have already been selected to submit their designs in the form of competition entries by April 21, Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO) told reporters today.

Among the ten competitors are not only domestic architects, but also representatives from Slovakia, Poland, Austria, the Netherlands, and Ireland. The city directly approached five architectural firms, while others were selected based on submitted portfolios, from nine such applicants five were chosen.

"The process is such that by April 21, we should have available, if everyone submits their designs, ten competition entries. Based on these, the jury will select in the last week of April. We still maintain the deadline that by the end of June, the city council should decide on the winning proposal," Macura stated.

The jury can either choose the competition entries in May to have them further developed based on clarified competition conditions or decide on the results of the competition already based on the first round.

The city purchased the historical slaughterhouse last year along with the former Bauhaus home improvement store for 80 million. It then decided to announce an architectural competition for their transformation. The city's goal is to return the slaughterhouse as much as possible to its original appearance while simultaneously adapting the building and its surroundings for cultural purposes, especially for visual arts.

The municipal slaughterhouse in the city center was established in 1881. However, in 1994, the city district of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz sold the two-hectare land along with the slaughterhouse building to the Bauhaus company for more than 38 million crowns. The company built its home improvement store in close proximity to the slaughterhouse.

However, the slaughterhouse fell into disrepair and was never renovated; later the store also ceased operations. The city has long sought to regain the monument-protected slaughterhouse. According to the latest expert assessment, the value of the complex is over 90 million crowns.