In Opava, the demolition of a high-rise building from the 1970s began today

Opava - Demolition of an unsightly high-rise building in the center of Opava began today. The tower building, constructed in the early 70s, which belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture before being transferred to city ownership, will be dismantled gradually floor by floor. The work is expected to last until the end of May. A shopping center is planned to be built on the site of the demolished structure, according to city hall spokesperson Lada Dobrovolná.
    "Today we will take over the construction site from the city representatives. Preparatory works will follow," said Radek Hložánek, an employee of the demolition company responsible for the work, to ČTK. According to him, the building will start to be dismantled later.
    Workers must first dismantle the furniture around the building, which includes several benches, one statue, and several public lighting poles. Then the construction site must be fenced off. This will be followed by the construction of hardened surfaces, access roads, and clearing the interior spaces of the building.
    All this will take several weeks. "Weather permitting, we expect demolition work to begin at the end of January or the beginning of February. The dismantling will proceed floor by floor. The removed material will be taken down using a crane," Hložánek stated.
    The building belonged to the Ministry of Agriculture, which transferred it to the city two years ago. Opava is required to demolish the structure by 2016, as stipulated in a contract signed by the city in 2005 with the development company Crestyl, which plans to develop the land under the building and the neighboring parks. Demolition costs are expected to exceed ten million crowns, with nine million crowns to be paid by the developer as per the agreement.
    The company is still interested in the project, even though a large shopping complex has recently been established in the city center. In the area of the abandoned brewery, a large shopping center, Breda & Weinstein, opened in the fall of 2012. Its name references the history of the popular but now dilapidated department store, Breda. Spanning over 25,000 m², it offers space for more than 100 stores, a multiplex cinema with six screens, restaurants, and a café.
    "The Central Opava shopping center project is currently in the initial stage of preparation. Preparing such a project generally takes years, and due to changes in the area that have occurred in recent years, we are essentially starting from scratch," said Ondřej Micka, spokesperson for Crestyl. He added that representatives of the developer want to meet with the leadership of Opava that emerged from last year's municipal elections. "We want to negotiate with the new city leadership and discuss our intentions with them. Only based on that will we outline the individual steps for project realization," he stated.
    The park near Horní náměstí was established in 1945 after buildings destroyed by the war were demolished. Some residents of the city oppose its development, preferring that it remain a quiet zone. A petition to halt the project was signed by 1,300 people in 2011.