Stará radnice v Ostravě Museum building

Welcome to the heart of Moravian Ostrava. You are standing in front of a building that is not just an ordinary stone object, but a living witness of many centuries of urban life, political change and fateful events. While you're looking around, try to stop looking passively for a moment and start to perceive the atmosphere of this place. Can you feel the weight of history floating on these streets? This old town hall, which you have right in front of you, has been an artery to the Ostrava administration for centuries, a place where people's fate, urban development and the future of the entire region have been decided. Today, officials don't work here anymore, but in their place there is knowledge and memory of the city as a museum.

Let's go back deep into the past together to understand how this place came to be. The history of this town hall dates back to the 16th century. The first written mention of it appears already in the year of fifteen thirty Chinese. Imagine the period Ostrava, the restless and constantly evolving settlement. City Hall was a symbol of urban autonomy and power. However, the journey of this object has not always been a peaceful course of years. In the year 15-56, the city was in great trouble. A huge fire hit this city hall above all else. It was not just the loss of the building, but the tragic loss of city documents. All the important documents, chronicles and records that formed the city's identity were destroyed in flames. It was like the city lost its memory. Yet the town hall rose from the ashes and continued its service.

Now pay attention to the very appearance of the building that now surrounds you. Even though today's name was the architects who designed this building, we have only traces of their genius in the form of various architectural styles. The building is not the result of a single time, but rather a complex one composed of many epoch. If you look at its facade and its overall structure, you can see in it different faces of history. In a certain light or from a certain angle you will see elements of the Baroque that have brought their dynamism and richness into the object. Other reconstructions added elegance and rigour of Empire style. And finally, during the period of Neo-Renaissance, the building was supplied with its present, noble form. This mixture of styles creates a fascinating whole that constantly changes its character according to the way you look at it. It's like a book that has every chapter written in different letters.

Speaking of history, we can't forget the characters that are closely connected to this period. Even though the town hall became the center of administration later, its roots and atmosphere of the time when the city was formed go back to the era of John of Luxembourg. His era was a period when the foundations of later urban life were formed in these parts of the country. Even though the city hall did not have to build in these walls at the time, as we know it today, the spirit of the time and the coins from his government, which later archeologists found here, constantly remind us of how deep in time we are.

Now I want to invite you to something really special that awaits you inside. If you choose to enter the building, prepare yourself to change your view of the world under your feet. A unique glass floor is created on the ground floor of the building. It's not a simple decoration, it's a window into the depths of time. If you look through this glass, you will see not only the floor, but the real remains of the stone walls of the houses that stood here in the 14th century. It is a fascinating experience - a state in a modern building and at the same time to see the foundations of the older world which was here long before you. Among these findings you can see small objects that have survived centuries: ceramic fragments, pieces of old glass cups and even Prague grosh from the time of John Luxembourg. These little things are like whispering voices of the past telling us about the daily lives of people who lived here five or six centuries ago.

And if you're interested in one other thing that resembles human malaise before the forces of nature, focus on the pillars of the building. One of them still has a visible flood mark from a thousand eight hundred and eighty. It is located at a height of approximately five feet. This brand is a silent reminder of the time when water dominated the streets and when the city's inhabitants had to deal with unexpected disasters. It is a very tangible proof of how much the city has had to adapt to the surrounding environment in the past.

This building has undergone a huge transformation. In the year one thousand nine hundred thirty-one, the museum was established from where taxes and urban laws were decided. This change was crucial - the town hall stopped being just a tool of power and became a guardian of culture. Today, this object is strictly protected as a monument because its value for the city and for all of us is indispensable.

I won't keep you now. A gateway to the history of Moravian Ostrava opens before you. I suggest you enter, go through the museum space and let yourself be carried away by the stories that are stored here. Don't forget to look under your feet and look for clues of those who were before you. I wish you a nice tour and many experiences in discovering the secrets of the old town hall. Goodbye.