Silesian-Ostrava Castle is awaiting reconstruction in the fall

Ostrava - The lower courtyard of the Silesian Ostrava Castle will be reconstructed this autumn. The city company Ostravské výstavy will begin draining the courtyard area by October at the latest. The soil will be replaced with a siliceous-sandy surface that rainwater can flow through, preventing mud from forming under visitors' feet. Karel Burda, the director of the company, stated this to ČTK. The current wooden fence will be replaced with a stone wall, and a tiered arena for seating will be created in the courtyard. The reconstruction, costing six million crowns, will be funded by the city of Ostrava.
    "The lower courtyard was never completed due to a lack of funds. In previous years, we only fenced it off and removed the transformer station. The Ostrava city councilors decided at the end of May that the reconstruction would continue, so we will start construction work in September or October, with everything needing to be finished by mid-May 2008,” Burda said.
    He added that the reconstruction of the lower courtyard will bring the Silesian Ostrava Castle a step closer to the goal of creating a space for at least 15,000 people, where large music festivals and cultural events could be held.
    The Ostrava city councilors also allocated another two million crowns for the renovation of the castle's stone walls. “Some of the sandstone walls reinforced with bricks are weathered, so repairs are necessary. We will remove loose parts of the masonry and unsuitable jointing material. We will clean the sandstone and the joints between the stones. We already did some repairs in 2006 when a layer of the retaining wall from the side of the Lučina River was loosened, so we know that it works,” the director stated.
    The surroundings of the castle will also be modified for nearly two million crowns. In the area between Těšínská and Frýdecká streets, waste dumps were previously deposited, which have overgrown with shrubs. “The northern tip of the land around the castle needs to be cleared, trees and shrubs must be thinned out, the terrain must be leveled, and grass should be planted,” Burda added.
    The Silesian Ostrava Castle, dating back to the 13th century, has been open to the public since 2004. A year later, Ostravské výstavy gradually repaired all the preserved parts of the castle, which has become a cultural center of Ostrava. Since 2005, the international music festival Colours of Ostrava has been held in the castle area.