The Karolina site, a former industrial area, lies in the center city of Ostrava, Czech Republic, just feet away from the city’s historic square. Its importance lies in the rarity of finding 150 acres of prime, undeveloped land in a prominent central city location—especially land that is available and suitable for development of local and regional importance. The size, location and potential use of the site adds to the area’s regional and interregional strengths, which include its designation as the Czech Republic’s third largest city (population 330,000), its closeness to Slovakia and Poland, and its base as the capital of a region with 1.2 million inhabitants.

The door to extending the city center was cracked open by the clearing of the former industrial area in 1988. In spite of the demolition, no development followed due to extreme ground contamination—the result of 150 years of heavy industrial use (blast furnaces, coke ovens, coal washing, power generation, chemical manufacture)—and the proximity of blast furnaces and coke ovens that were still in use in nearby Vítkovice. Also, there was an iron ore sinter plant and engineering shops close to the site.

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The production facilities caused heavy pollution, resulting in restrictions on usage of the Karolina site by the city’s buildings department. That situation changed following the 1997 central government decision to subsidize Karolina’s cleanup. Currently underway, the soil remediation project carried out by Czech company OKD Rekultivace will be finished this year. Vítkovice’s blast furnaces, coke ovens and sinter plant were shutdown, which allowed the land use restrictions to be lifted and improved air quality.

The area under consideration is 148 acres, consisting mostly of open, undeveloped land. Several small portions of the site are occupied by an industrial tract (5 acres) that will be shut down soon, a temporary construction company plant (27 acres) to be shut down by 2005, and existing buildings, access communications, etc. (10 acres altogether) that will remain in place. The remaining buildings include a theatre, several former industrial buildings that are now registered landmarks and the power distribution facility.

The Karolina site has a number of features that make it both appealing and a complicated location for redevelopment. In the north, tramway tracks border the historic city center. Running along the southern edge a railway corridor and abandoned buildings form Karolina’s typical background skyline. The buildings are planned for commercial use and, according to the results of current investigations, some parts may be proclaimed an industrial landmark.

In the east, the site follows the Ostravice river, bordering on undeveloped natural land. Crossing the river is one major local road, tramway tracks, one railroad track (to be shut down) and a bridge used by a construction company.

The Cleanup
In connection with privatizing state-owned property, the Czech government decided to finance the removal of “old ecological damages,” i.e., damages originating prior to privatization, through the National Property Fund of the Czech Republic by means of its proceeds from the sales of the formerly state-owned property.

Thanks to this, the remedial process at the Karolina site, aided by the expenditure of $53 million, started in 1997. Soil remediation is ­to be completed by the end of 2002 while the groundwater remediation will continue at least until the end of 2004. Remediation contracts have been awarded to  OKD Rekultivace,  and Havirov, a subsidiary of OKD in the capacity of general contractor. There are another 11 subcontractors working on this project.

Majority land owners in the Karolina area—Ostrava and OKD (Ostrava-Karviná Mining Company)—believe that, thanks to the location in the city center, the area deserves more attention than it has been given so far in terms of land use, urban planning concept and architecture. Planning concepts presented have been far too modest, lacking the grandeur appropriate to a regional capital. Thus the city magistrates and OKD management have adopted a more generous approach, calling for an open international competition of urban planning and architectural ideas that will enjoy financial support of both parties. These new plans include an office center, regional shopping center, supermarkets, restaurants and a food court, cultural center, winter garden, centre city services, housing, fun park, helipad, and a traditional park, all of which will provide the grandeur and services needed in the center of Ostrava.

Marcela Tomaskova is the head of land use and investment support section in the city of Ostrava's Department of Economic Development.