In Opava, a room has been discovered beneath the former department store Breda

Opava - Experts in the basement of the reconstructed building of the former department store Breda in Opava have discovered an as yet unknown room, of which no one has apparently known for at least 100 years. It is likely a remnant of the original cellar from the early 19th century. Roman Konečný, spokesperson for the Opava city hall, said this today. Builders had previously found a bricked-up 100-year-old staircase. The iconic building by the famous architect Leopold Bauer was purchased by the city in 2022. When it opened in 1928, it was the largest department store in the country. In 2023, the renovation of the building began.

"It is already clear that this is an exceptionally valuable discovery," Konečný stated. According to him, the room was found by workers while addressing a water leakage problem in the building.

Opava's mayor Tomáš Navrátil (ANO) added that Breda continues to surprise and gradually reveals one mystery after another. "We thought we knew this building very well, yet we stumbled upon something much older than the building itself," Navrátil said. According to him, it is still unclear what the next steps will be. "We definitely want to get inside and see what surprises await us there," he added.

So far, no one has looked into the newly discovered space. The room was discovered during one of the drilling operations and based on current findings, it is probably full of mud and rubble.

Moreover, the room is located beneath another extraordinary find, the staircase from the previous building, which was also discovered by accident in 2024. The staircase belonged to the original department store Breda & Weinstein and led to a basement shop. Breda was built 100 years ago on the site of three houses. Two were demolished for new construction, but one remained preserved, and its imprint seems to have transferred to the current building.

"That is why this new discovery is so significant. It reminds us once again that Breda is not just an architectural landmark, but also a place that still hides unexplored layers of its past," Konečný said.

At the time of its opening in 1928, Breda was the largest department store in the republic. The building deteriorated in the last decade. The cultural monument, which belonged to the bankrupt entrepreneur Kamil Koles, was acquired by the city in 2022 for 39.5 million crowns. The total costs for the renovation, which were originally estimated at around 300 million crowns, are now 200 million higher. The annual operating cost of the building, with 10,000 square meters, is expected to be about 17.7 million crowns.

After the renovation, the building is expected to offer a marketplace, restaurant, café, and rental spaces. The architects also plan to create a square in front of the building. The transformation of Breda involves the Brussels studio OFFICE Kersten Geers David Van Severen, the Brno studio GRAM, and the Slovak collective Spolka. The architects aim to restore Breda's original splendor and open the space to the public.