The area around the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ostrava is set to undergo transformation in the coming years

Ostrava – The area around the Church of the Holy Spirit in Ostrava-Zábřeh is set to undergo a transformation in the coming years. The City Atelier of Spatial Planning and Architecture (MAPPA) has prepared a competition for the design of this location. The unattractive parking lot by the church is expected to be replaced by a space for relaxation and occasional community activities. This was announced to journalists by MAPPA spokesperson Zuzana Kotyzová.

"The task for the participants is to propose an overall arrangement of this public space, taking into account not only the Church of the Holy Spirit but also the surrounding buildings – the Luna cinema, the Kotva shopping center, the adjacent kindergarten, and the residential development. They must also consider the possible construction of a rectory, which was part of the original design of the church. The aim of the city and the municipal district is to create a pleasant space here in the coming years that will connect important areas in the surroundings and serve for everyday activities as well as a place for gatherings and community activities," Kotyzová stated.

The competition has been announced as an urban and landscape design contest. Interested participants can submit their applications by June 3, based on which the jury will select the competition teams that will be able to develop their proposals until the end of September. The actual results of the competition are expected to be known by the end of the year.

"The church in the residential area and the close contact between the sacred and the secular, with a restaurant and a disco also located here, can generally be considered interesting topics to address, forming the basis of the competition assignment in our case. I believe that the assignment in the form of this challenge, coupled with motivational prizes and rewards, as well as sufficient time for proposal development, will attract a number of competition teams," said MAPPA director and architect Ondřej Vysloužil. The proposals will be assessed by a jury that will include the author of the church design, architect Marek Štěpán. This is the eleventh architectural competition announced by the city in the modern history of Ostrava for the transformation of significant spaces and buildings.

The Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit opened in 2007. The area around the church and the nearby Kotva shopping center is one of the significant places in the most populous district of Ostrava, Jih. The area has undergone several modifications in the past, including the reconstruction of the Luna cinema and its surroundings, alterations to the tram line, and the ongoing revitalization of the space in front of the Kotva shopping center. "The modification of the area around the church will build on these projects and will resolve the last part of the area that has so far remained in an unsatisfactory condition," Kotyzová added. The transformation of the space could begin no later than in three years, with costs estimated at approximately 150 million crowns excluding VAT.