Ostrava bids farewell to the amphitheater behind the cultural house, making way for a concert hall

Ostrava - With the event "Once Upon a Time There Was an Amphitheater," the public and artists bid farewell to the amphitheater in the park behind the culture house today in Ostrava. The structure will be demolished due to the planned reconstruction of the culture house and the intended construction of a concert hall. The demolition is expected to begin in the coming days. Michaela Dvořáková informed ČTK on behalf of the organizers.

"Today's event was a festive conclusion to the program at the amphitheater behind the Culture House of the City of Ostrava and at the same time a ceremonial start of the transformation of the entire area. People had the last chance to visit the amphitheater, which will be gradually removed starting tomorrow, as part of the preparations for the reconstruction of the culture house and the construction of the concert hall," Dvořáková stated.

Several institutions participated in the farewell event. The Beautification Society "For a Beautiful Ostrava" and the Fiducia Society organized a creative workshop for children and their parents. Together with the attendees, the members of the societies initially decorated the amphitheater. They also contributed to the organization of a literary program dedicated to both disappearing and emerging places. The Benda Quartet performed twice during the program, playing compositions by Mozart and Vivaldi. Actors from the nearby Petr Bezruč Theatre also participated in the event, presenting excerpts from the play "The Love of a Blonde."

Visitors were able to take part directly in the farewell. They could leave a message on-site about what the place meant to them or how they looked forward to the new concert hall. The messages in a bottle were then buried by the organizers near the future construction site. Those interested could also express their wishes for the new hall. They wrote their messages on balloons, which were released into the sky while singing along with opera singer Eva Dřizgová.

The Ostrava concert hall will have a capacity of 1,300 seats in the auditorium, arranged in a so-called vineyard layout, divided into smaller sections, with part of the auditorium located behind a separate stage. The design of the concert hall, which also includes the reconstruction of the Culture House of the City of Ostrava, was created by American architect Steven Holl and his studio Steven Holl Architects from New York, in collaboration with the Prague studio Architecture Acts. The construction of the concert hall, including preparations, is expected to cost more than three billion crowns.

The new concert hall will be shaped like a musical instrument case. The building will utilize the listed building of the Culture House of the City of Ostrava, which will be expanded with a new dominant annex for the main concert hall. The current social hall of the culture house will be transformed into a chamber hall with a capacity of 515 seats. A recording studio will be created in one of the side sections of the existing building. An educational center with a maximum capacity of 200 people will be part of it, focusing on musical, theatrical, and visual workshops for schools and the public. There will also be a conference hall with a gallery and a capacity of 200 people, a theater hall for 490 spectators, and facilities for the 100-member Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava. A restaurant, café, lounges, and spaces for leisure activities will also be included.