Ostrava is preparing the renovation of the protected Grossmann Villa

photo: http://www.patriotmagazin.cz/

Ostrava - The city of Ostrava is preparing to renovate the heritage-protected Grossmann Villa from 1923 located on Na Zapadlém street, not far from the regional office, which was the family residence of Ostrava architect František Grossmann. In the past, attempts to sell the villa were unsuccessful, and it was ultimately decided to repair it and use it for representative purposes. The city has now announced a public contract for the creation of project documentation, Mayor Tomáš Macura (ANO) told reporters today.

"I have the idea that the project documentation should be completed no later than within six months, meaning sometime in the middle of 2017. After that, we would obviously announce a tender for the contractor of the construction, so I believe that the actual reconstruction could begin sometime in 2018," Macura stated. He estimates that the renovation costs could be around 40 million crowns.

"The city has not always treated the monuments located in its area very nicely in the past. New buildings were constructed, while old ones were mostly demolished or not maintained. Grossmann Villa is truly one of the architectural gems in the territory of the city. Attempts to utilize it have varied," the mayor said.

According to him, the city also considered for a long time how to use the villa. Ultimately, it was decided that the villa should serve, for example, for various meetings, but it would also include accommodation facilities intended for important visitors coming to the city. Macura wants to discuss the further functioning of the villa with the region and agree on a joint project. Furthermore, the city has already had to invest in the villa, for example, in its security or basic preservation work. This amounts to around 100,000 to 200,000 crowns annually.

In a similar manner, the city intends to renovate another two villas belonging to Ostrava builder Bohumil Židlický in the grounds of the Ostrava City Hospital. "Both villas were declared cultural monuments at the end of last year with the consent of the city. In this case, we have also registered our intention to repair the villas," Macura said. According to him, they are in significantly better condition than the Grossmann Villa. The city is preparing an investment plan and is considering the possible use of the buildings. They could probably house doctors' offices.