The project aims to revitalize the national cultural monument, blast furnaces No. 4 and No. 6, and the casting hall of the former Vítkovice Ironworks, based on a design by architect Josef Pleskot. Their transformation into a new function, while respecting the historical value of the building, will create an innovative industrial museum, including the preparation of its future socially beneficial activities and services.
Project name: MUSEum+
Registration number: CZ.10.03.01/00/22_003/0000273
Operational program: Just Transition
Status: project implementation
2025 was a milestone year for the museum. Thanks to the Just Transition Operational Program, we were able to purchase the blast furnace complex, sign a contract with the project documentation contractor, and begin preparations for further exploratory and future construction work.
MUSEum+, Industrial Museum in Ostrava, has completed a tender for the design documentation for the construction of its seat in blast furnaces 4 and 6 in the Lower Vítkovice area. The winner of the public tender is the "Association for MUSEum+," which consists of the Ostrava-based company Chválek Ateliér, s.r.o. as the lead partner and the Prague-based Energy Benefit Centre a.s.
Blast furnaces 4 and 6 of the former Vítkovice Ironworks are being transferred to new owners. The national cultural monument will now be managed by MUSEum+, the Industrial Museum in Ostrava, which is established by the Ministry of Culture of the Czech Republic. In the coming years, the blast furnaces will be transformed into a museum according to a design by architect Josef Pleskot.
Josef Pleskot and his studio designed the transformation of blast furnaces 4 and 6 for MUSEum+. His solution treats the national cultural monument with great respect, preserving the authentic appearance of the blast furnaces, cast house, auxiliary buildings, and the vast majority of technological components, while at the same time allowing for other elements necessary for the operation of the museum. This is achieved primarily by maximising the below-ground level spaces of MUSEum+.
In the basement (-4.30 m), the project envisages uncovering the foundations of the blast furnaces and using the resulting space for exhibition purposes, MUSEum+ depositories, and the institution’s technical facilities.
At ground level (+-0.00 m), new entrance building structures will be installed, built under the steel casting hall, and will serve as visitor facilities, conference rooms, and space for short-term exhibitions. The project preserves the pedestrian passage from the Amber Footbridge towards the GONG multi-purpose auditorium.
The casting hall (+8.00 m to 10.50 m) will remain unchanged. The platform is connected to the surrounding terrain by a ramp, the preservation of which is respected within the project. The ramp provides access to a two-storey building that will serve as an educational facility of the institution.
The Tube (+19.40 m) is an embedded futuristic object that levitates in the roof space of the casting hall. It will serve as a modern audiovisual exhibition space.
