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.
The contract between MUSEum+ and VÍTKOVICE, a.s. was signed by museum director Naděžda Goryczková and company chairman Pavel Štefánik.
"This is a significant step towards the restoration of this undoubtedly unique industrial monument, which will enable its transformation for the needs of a museum with an industrial focus. The transfer of the blast furnaces to the state with management rights for MUSEum+ is the result of more than a year of negotiations and a persistent search for consensus on the final form of the purchase agreement, complicated by the settlement of old environmental damages. Now nothing stands in the way of completing the selection of the project contractor and subsequently proceeding with the planned restoration," says MUSEum+ director Naděžda Goryczková.
The purchase of the furnaces and their future preservation are financed by the Just Transition Fund.
MUSEum+, the Industrial Museum in Ostrava, is the first state-established museum to be headquartered in Ostrava. It is also a repayment of a debt, as one of the most industrialized regions of Czechia did not have a collection-building institution focused on the history of industry and technology.
