The reconstruction of the historic slaughterhouse in Ostrava may start as early as this year

Ostrava – The reconstruction of the historic building of the former slaughterhouse in the center of Ostrava could start this year. The Polish studio KWK Promes, led by architect Robert Konieczny, whose design will renovate the monument, is currently completing the necessary preparatory work. The city would like to present the final design including new visualizations in June, said Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO) to ČTK. The slaughterhouse is set to become the seat of the city gallery Plato.

"I can say so much that nearly two months ago, the final study of the slaughterhouse was approved. With that approval, architect Konieczny has started designing. The complete project documentation should be ready in the first half of June," Macura said.

Once the documentation is completed, the city wants to announce a tender for the contractor. "I haven't completely given up the chance that we might start as early as this fall, but it depends on who applies for the tender, whether any issues arise," the mayor stated. Macura wants construction to begin by next spring at the latest.

Due to the reconstruction of the slaughterhouse, the city announced an architectural competition. The Polish architect placed third in it. However, the city did not reach an agreement with the winner of the competition, Prague’s studio Petr Hájek Architekti, on the contract, and the studio was excluded from the process. Only the winning studio, which ultimately did not sign a contract, and the Polish architect applied for the negotiation procedure without publication for the project development following the architectural competition. The studio that placed second in the architectural competition did not submit its project to the negotiation procedure. After unsuccessful negotiations with the competition winner, the city began discussions with Konieczny.

The municipal slaughterhouse was established in 1881. 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 DIY store in close proximity to the slaughterhouse. However, the slaughterhouse deteriorated and was never repaired, and the store also ceased operations. The city long tried to regain the monument-protected slaughterhouse and ultimately took it over in September 2017. It paid 80 million crowns for it and the former Bauhaus store.