In 1998, after 170 years of continuous activities in Vítkovice, production of iron, coke and agglomerates in so-called Bottom area (Dolní oblast) was terminated. Part of this strategic locality was proclaimed NationalCulturalMonument together with Hlubina coal mine by the Government Order no. 337/2002 Coll. Since shutdown of production in blast furnaces in September 1998 this extensive area filled with metallurgical technologies inaccessible, all the buildings and technological assemblies are out of operation.
With regard to the size and financial demandingness of the NationalCulturalMonument the form of subsidy is the only possible way of using NCM potential and to preserve this unique monument for the next generations.
Vítkovice was always bringing about development to the entire region, giving the people qualified work with high amount of added value, it was influencing and has been influencing its surroundings. Naturally it therefore contributes to the renewal of architectonical and technical heritage. VÍTKOVICE MACHINERY GROUP owns industrial objects and technological assemblies after terminated metallurgical production that are a national cultural monument and that were included in 2008 in the European Cultural heritage.
VÍTKOVICE MACHINERY GROUP is now preparing a really unique project of New Vítkovice that considers revitalization of so-called Bottom Vítkovice, which is an industrial area with National Cultural Monument of Blast Furnaces. The goal is to preserve the industrial heritage also for next generations and give this area a new modern and useful form, build new residential blocks, administrative premises, university, scientific-research and cultural background and leisure time zones.
New Vítkovice is a project that reaches significantly beyond Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian region and the CzechRepublic. This project brings about a unique opportunity to the City of Ostrava to link the present with the future:
- project that can significantly change the life in Ostrava and the region,
- project that is in the focal point of attention of the population of the region,
- project that allows for return to the roots of the significant past of Ostrava,
- it is a completely unique opportunity for VÍTKOVICE MACHINERY GROUP, Ostrava and Moravian-Silesian region.
What does the uniqueness of the project consist in? It connects the old with the new. It materializes the reality of development of Vítkovice together with Ostrava and redeems the promise of future of Ostrava that is positively evaluated by general public. New Vítkovice will incorporate university education, science, research, centre of technical education, flats, objects intended for culture and sport. The intentions are to design a university area for technical fields and humanities, shops, hotels, gallery, offices and public sports facilities. The room for industrial use of the entire area is reduced and conversely, new opportunities for the development of the City of Ostrava are built. Thanks to the link to Nová Karolina the centre of the city significantly extends. Nové Vítkovice is the biggest project of its kind in the CzechRepublic. New Vítkovice is not a pure vision – already now we can see „old" and „new“ Vítkovice together.
The first steps in the realization of the project are already taking place now. The company prepares a project of reactivation of some objects of the NationalCulturalMonument with financial participation of the MInistry of Culture of the CzechRepublic in the IOP program. The main goal of the project titled "Access and new use of NCM Vítkovice" is to reactivate the main parts of the National Cultural Monument of Vítkovice, to make them accessible to the public and subsequently use the potential of NCM for educational and cultural-social activities.
The project will include reconstruction and reactivation of three basic objects of the NationalCulturalMonument:
- Fourth Power station
- Blast furnace no. 1
- Gas holder
The individual parts of the program are proposed in a way the make the overall utility value of all the parts of the National Cultural Monuments as high as possible, i.e. modern forms of communication with the use of technology and special effects in combination with interactive form of knowledge with the effort for the highest possible level of memory value of the transferred information in educational actions:
World of Technology
The exhibition titled "The World of Technology" - which will connect museum with interactive science centre with possibility of games with:
- museum exposition of companies associated with area and history of the region
- science center – i.e. interactive models and exhibits accessible to general public
- classrooms for tuition of technical subjects
- projection hall and areas for meeting with background
Instructive Trail
Virtual representation of technology of iron production, coke and coal production including instructive trail with visualization of technological process of iron production, gas collection and power production and instructive tour of the blast furnace with explanation of the processes.
Visions of monumental zone