The legendary Café Elektra will return to Ostrava

Ostrava - The legendary Café Elektra will return to Ostrava after 12 years. The contemporary interior will likely welcome its first visitors in June. The operators of the Mexican restaurant that operated in the building until last autumn have relocated their business. The interior of the new Café Elektra is not expected to be a copy of the famous establishment from 1926. On the contrary, it will reflect modern trends. However, some details and materials used will significantly remind one of the First Republic café. This was stated to journalists today by the author of the design, Brno architect Petr Hrůša.
     The reconstruction of the premises in the heritage-protected building of the Palace of Elektra has already begun. According to the architect, the investor wants to use more expensive and, above all, quality materials. For example, the upholstery and fabrics will be sourced from France. The furniture that will be upholstered will be imported from Italy.
     The original café, which was frequented by the likes of Jan Werich, Jiří Voskovec, Jaroslav Ježek, and Oldřich Nový, will be recalled by some details in the paneling, curtains, and mainly the café tables. "These will be marked with the names of famous personalities. People will be able to have a meeting, for example, at the table of Voskovec and Werich," Hrůša stated.
     The idea to restore a traditional historical café in Ostrava was brought forth by representatives of J&T Bank, which has been building a concept of connecting cafés with branches of the banking house for several years. It already has five such establishments in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Café Elektra in Ostrava will operate on the same principle. The entire ground floor will be intended for the public. "It will be a classic café. The second floor will have spaces for the bank, its employees, and clients," said the architect. The bank's CEO Štěpán Ašer added that the reconstruction costs will reach several tens of millions of crowns.
     The café's capacity will be approximately 50 seats. The bank representatives believe that it will find its guests among the residents of Ostrava who are not clients of the financial institution. "We do not want to hold any campaign and hunt for guests. Our advantage is that we are not in the café business. We expect that the operations may be unprofitable. It is a gift from us to Ostrava and its residents," said Ašer.
     The Palace of Elektra was built from 1924 to 1926. It was originally named the Mining House. Miners and entrepreneurs in the coal mining sector resided in the building, and there was a busy café with a reading room facing Nádražní Street. Until the early 1990s, there was a cinema operating here. In the 1990s, the café was renovated and functioned until 2001, when it was closed by the operators due to low revenues.
     Following that, there was a struggle between conservationists and other investors and prospective buyers. One, for example, considered building a car dealership in the premises. This was not realized. Eventually, the premises were rented by people who started to establish a Mexican restaurant in the former café. However, construction began without the necessary permits and, according to conservationists, was quite careless and destroyed the original interiors.
     The construction authority of Moravská Ostrava and Přívoz issued a late permit for the reconstruction of the interior in the former café only in 2005. The illegally built Hacienda Mexicana restaurant was legalized after nearly two years of operation. The same construction authority imposed a fine of 300,000 crowns on the original owner a year earlier and even ordered the removal of the illegal construction. The property owner appealed, and the Ostrava magistrate canceled the construction authority's decision.