Ostrava-Poruba will restore artworks, including the relief on the Arch

photo: Roman Polášek

Ostrava - The Ostrava city district of Poruba will have two works of art restored for 800,000 crowns, specifically the Decorative Wall by Eduard Ovčáček and Drahoslav Beran and the terracotta relief Going to Work, Returning from Work by Václav Šantrůček. The relief is part of the set of buildings called Oblouk in the municipal heritage zone, which is one of the symbols of Poruba. The spokesperson for the Poruba town hall, Martin Otipka, announced this today.

Restoration work will begin in September and will last until November. It will be funded from the city budget. "We have prepared a restoration plan and received approval from the chief architect's department. I believe that both works will return to their original state, and especially the relief on Oblouk will be one of the first steps towards revitalizing the entire area and restoring its original significance," said Poruba Deputy Mayor Zuzana Bajgarová (ANO).

The relief on Oblouk above the passageway of Porubská Street was created from 1952 to 1956. The whole area was built in the style of socialist realism (sorela), and the original design of the relief included a number of ideological elements. "In the realization, these elements were managed to be mitigated, and the relief gives a civil impression. The work has never been restored and is in very poor condition due to weather conditions and bird droppings. The restoration will cost 681,000 crowns," Otipka stated.

Oblouk was originally intended to be a monumental entrance to Poruba, which the communists wanted to turn into a new center of Ostrava. However, according to the deputy mayor, it is currently a place people do not visit, which the district aims to change.

"The place deserves significant changes. That is why we included the area in the application for a grant from the Karel Komárek Foundation's Transformations, and we would like to revitalize it along with the adjacent castle park. We also want to direct cultural events there," Bajgarová stated.

The second of the restored works is located between Bulharská and Alžírská streets. The Decorative Wall was created in 1973 from 138 concrete cubes. "The work is in poor condition and the restoration will cost 117,000 crowns," Otipka mentioned. Poruba intends to continue restoring works of art in the coming years.