On Monday, the demolition of the dilapidated shopping center Slezanka will begin in Opava

Opava - On Monday, the long-postponed demolition of the dilapidated shopping center Slezanka in downtown Opava will begin. This will mark the transformation of this part of Horní náměstí. Heavy machinery is expected to raze the building to the ground by the end of the year. Roman Konečný, spokesperson for the Opava city hall, informed ČTK about this today. Instead of the unsightly panel building, a multifunctional house with a facade in line with other historical buildings in the city center is set to emerge.

"Today, the preparatory work that preceded the actual demolition has finished. Scaffolding has been erected around the building, which the demolition company employees covered with a tarpaulin due to dust. An access road for heavy machinery has also been created from the rear of the building," Konečný stated, adding that the actual demolition will begin on Monday.

The first phase of the demolition will focus on the above-ground parts of the building in the segment from the passage near the co-cathedral to the current entrance to the building. Opava currently owns the properties designated for removal; there is a legal dispute regarding the remaining share from the passage heading left on Horní náměstí towards the Tempa building.

The panel building was constructed on the site of former brewing houses from the 17th century. The block, which has a housing estate appearance, connects with the historic buildings of the center and neighbors the Gothic church. The building has been a long-term problem for the city hall. The city purchased the majority share in 2008 for 270 million crowns. Since then, the possible use of the building has been debated.

In 2005, the city signed a contract with a developer for the construction of a new shopping center, but the project was halted. The idea of another shopping center in close proximity to the historic center ceased to make sense, the city did not meet the conditions to which it committed, and had to compensate the developer for incurred costs amounting to 28.5 million crowns as a frustrated investment.

In 2021, the city councillors approved the demolition of the purchased part. Demolition was supposed to start a year later. However, the work had to be halted. The Ministry of Culture declared the neighboring Theater Club a monument. The city disagrees with this decision of the ministry and has filed a lawsuit with the administrative court. The demolition was also blocked by the co-owner of the left part of the building.

"It was therefore necessary to develop a new demolition project so that neither the co-owner of the left part of the building nor the Theater Club in the right part would be affected. As a result, demolition and construction work must be divided into multiple phases," Konečný said.

After the removal of the above-ground parts of the building, an archaeological survey will follow in the immediate vicinity of Slezanka, which is set to be replaced by a multifunctional cultural hall with a capacity of approximately 800 to 1,000 people, intended for balls, dances, concerts, congresses, and other social events. The city center has long lacked a representative space of this type. The project also includes an underground parking lot with a capacity of approximately 250 spaces. A hotel and residential buildings could also be developed on the site. Aside from the hall and the underground parking lot, the buildings are to be constructed by private investors.