The Ostrava team 2015 wants to complete the project of transforming Černá louka

Čestmír Kopecký: "We need to recap the project because it is a competition, and it is judged by a jury like in figure skating, so something is also done for that jury. So we'll throw out this ballast and decide what is really useful and essential for Ostrava." (photo: Ondřej Besperát)

Ostrava - The team that prepared the unsuccessful candidacy of Ostrava for the European Capital of Culture 2015 would like to preserve the core part of its candidate project. The document with which it competed for the title will be revised by the end of September, and its possible use will be proposed to the city leadership. This was stated to journalists today by the head of the team, Čestmír Kopecký. Ostrava narrowly lost the title to Plzeň, which received votes from six out of 11 jurors.
    Kopecký added that the planned transformation of Černá louka into a new urban district with cultural and educational institutions along with housing, which was a key project of the candidacy, should definitely continue. According to team members, the Stará Aréna - Club for Culture and Information 2015, which opened in March this year and offers more than 20 programs monthly, should also be preserved. The city should also retain some cultural events in the future, such as the Month of Author Reading, which was held for the first time this year in addition to Brno in the Moravian-Silesian metropolis.
    "We need to recap the project because it is a competition, and it is judged by a jury like in figure skating, so something is also done for that jury. So we'll throw out this ballast and decide what is really useful and essential for Ostrava," Kopecký explained. He added that the project would be reduced to about two-thirds after these adjustments.
    "Then it is necessary to sit down and say that we think it is essential to continue with this. We will inform the current city leadership," Kopecký added. Team representatives emphasized several times today that it will be important how the new city leadership, which will arise from the October municipal elections, will approach the entire project. However, the city had previously committed to investing two billion crowns in the project.

Adam Gebrian: "By 2015, it is possible to demolish unnecessary buildings on the site, build a park, and create four of the planned buildings - a center for contemporary music, a creative incubator, a kunsthalle, and possibly a concert hall. This part can be realized for the two billion promised by the city."

    Architect and team member Adam Gebrian believes that a significant part of the originally planned buildings at Černá louka could be realized for two billion. The ideational competition for the future form of the area was won some time ago by the renowned Dutch architectural office Maxwan, which proposed a park surrounded by buildings that create a sort of horseshoe around the central area. "The city must take further steps, elaborate the plan, and move forward," Gebrian believes.
    According to him, by 2015, it is possible to demolish unnecessary buildings on the site, build a park, and create four of the planned buildings - a center for contemporary music, a creative incubator, a kunsthalle, and possibly a concert hall. Gebrian is convinced that this part can be realized for the two billion promised by the city. According to the architect, it can also be expected that if the city starts working with the area, it will attract the attention of private investors who could participate, for example, in residential development or filling in gaps.
    The city invested over 70 million crowns in the preparations for the candidacy. Many residents of Ostrava supported the project, and over 2000 people watched the announcement of the verdict at Masaryk Square, with the loss becoming a hot topic of discussion on the social network Facebook. A group called Ostrava is the capital of culture for me even without the title was created, which has about 7000 supporters.
    The title of European Capital of Culture is not only a prestigious matter for the city but also means a promise of financial support from the state and the European Union for investments in cultural projects. The winning Plzeň will be entitled to about 1.5 million euros (approximately 37 million crowns) from European resources.