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All Czechia Ostrava Lower Vítkovice

Lower Vítkovice

A massive 1830s industrial site once known as Czechia's "Iron Heart" has been transformed into a playground of science, technology, and art.

Ostrava, Czechia

Added By
Sebastián Wortys
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An outdoor event in Lower Vítkovice.   Magistrát Města Ostravy
An outdoor event in Lower Vítkovice.   Magistrát Města Ostravy
Brutal   nicolaleigh / Atlas Obscura User
Lower Vítkovice, action  
Lower Vítkovice, concert  
Lower Vítkovice in winter  
The former coke ovens at Lower Vítkovice.   Ondřej Kořínek
Vendors at Lower Vítkovice.   Michael Klajban
Rusting industrial structures in Lower Vítkovice.   Alena Hanzlová
Lower Vítkovice from a distance.   Petr Štefek
A concert in the Gong, the auditorium in the former gas holder.   Lukáš Mižoch
Lower Vítkovice during the 2012 Colours of Ostrava festival.   Michael Klajban
Lower Vítkovice.   Boris Renner
Mean   nicolaleigh / Atlas Obscura User
Lower Vítkovice.   MaxPixel
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About

Ostrava was once known as the "Czech Republic's Iron Heart," largely because of this huge industrial plant that opened in 1830. The plant housed an ironworks, a coal colliery, and six coke furnaces. It was the only one in Europe that processed iron from start to finish in one location, and it was able to do so simply because the site was so massive. The plant operated until 1998, when it shut down production for good.

The plant was preserved as a site of industrial heritage and today visitors can walk amongst the hulking structures that once produced most of Czechia's iron. Historical tours explain how the iron was produced, and what it was like to work here in the innards of furnaces that reached 2,700˚F. They can take an elevator to the very top of Furnace No. 6 to see the whole complex from above.

The setting is like something out of a dystopian science fiction novel, with industrial machinery rusting everywhere you look, and Lower Vítkovice has taken full advantage of its appearance. The Science and Technology Centre hosts exhibits on everything from mathematics to nanotechnology. The former power plant is now the Small World of Technology, a Jules Verne-themed industry museum, while the gas holder has been transformed into 1,500-seat auditorium.

Concerts and film screenings take place here, while other cavernous industrial buildings host art exhibitions and performances. Ski races have been staged using the rusted machinery as obstacles. Lower Vítkovice has become the cultural hub of Ostrava, evidenced by the dozens of people picnicking on the grassy grounds beneath the giant tanks and furnaces. 

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Industrial Factories Plants Museums And Collections Museums Steampunk Parks

Community Contributors

Added By

Sebastian Wortys

Edited By

nicolaleigh, Molly McBride Jacobson, Blindcolour

  • nicolaleigh
  • Molly McBride Jacobson
  • Blindcolour

Published

April 28, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.czechtourism.com/c/ostrava-vitkovice/
  • https://vimeo.com/92448596
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_V%C3%ADtkovice
  • https://www.inyourpocket.com/ostrava/The-Lower-Vitkovice-area_110841v
  • http://www.erih.net/i-want-to-go-there/site/show/lower-area-of-vitkovice/
  • https://www.ostrava.cz/en/podnikatel-investor/investment-opportunities/brownfields-1/the-lower-vitkovice-area
Lower Vítkovice
Ruská 2993
Ostrava
Czechia
49.8185, 18.279202
Visit Website
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