The new town hall has been one of the symbols of Ostrava for 80 years

Prague - When Moravian Ostrava merged with six surrounding municipalities in the mid-1920s, a modern metropolis emerged, and its leadership needed a sufficiently large and representative seat. One of the most significant Ostravans and Mayor Jan Prokeš was significantly involved in the construction of the New Town Hall, having already played a role in the creation of what is known as Greater Ostrava. The new building, which features a nearly 86-meter-high steel tower, was ceremoniously opened on October 28, 1930.
    The birth of the town hall on the left bank of the Ostravice was not easy; the project pushed by the social democratic city leadership faced criticism, particularly from the opposition. At that time, the press mentioned words implying that the city was "lured into an expensive construction of a palace that could accommodate the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate in terms of its size." Furthermore, in the architectural competition, the Ostrava councilors preferred a rather uninteresting design over the attractive modernist building by Pavel Janák.
    The winning project was signed by Professor Vladimír Fischer from Brno and Ostrava architects František Kolář and Josef Rubý. During the construction, which was complicated by court battles over the selection of a construction company as well as unstable ground, the design underwent significant changes. Instead of the planned reinforced concrete tower, an iron tower covered with copper plates was ultimately erected above Prokeš's square. It was supplied by the Vítkovice Ironworks, and the structure, standing 85.6 meters tall, quickly became one of the symbols of Ostrava.
    The New Town Hall, at the time of its opening the largest building of its kind in Czechoslovakia, can also boast other interesting features, despite its somewhat cumbersome exterior. Notable is the half-ton clock mechanism, which is connected to a dial with a diameter of three and a half meters. Above the clock, on the tower that has acquired a greenish hue over the years, there is an observation balcony. Visitors can reach it comfortably by elevator, and in good weather, they can see as far as the peaks of the Beskids and Jeseníky mountains.
    Technology enthusiasts will then be intrigued by the functioning circulating lift in the New Town Hall, known as a paternoster, which dates back to 1928 and underwent a sensitive reconstruction six years ago. The somewhat monotonous façade of the massive building (which was originally intended to also serve as the seat of the regional administration) is adorned above the entrance by a quartet of allegorical statues symbolizing activities typical not only for interwar Ostrava - coal mining, metallurgy, science, and commerce.
    Over the past 80 years, it has become clear that the initial concerns about the utility of the new building were unfounded. In addition to the Ostrava magistrate, it now houses a library, a savings bank, and an art gallery in the entrance hall. The building also features a restaurant, which opened five months before the town hall itself, continuing the work of the former establishment Nová střelnice, which had to give way to the town hall in the mid-1920s. The Radniční restaurant became known to the people of Ostrava as the place from which the show Divadélko pod věží hosted by Marie Rottrová was broadcast in the 1980s.