Viewing Tower of the New Town Hall
Museums, TOP 10
Take a look on Ostrava, the entire region and beyond. The functionalist building of the New Town Hall offers an elevator ride to the height of 73 meters. From there you can enjoy a view of Silesian and Moravian Ostrava as well as the city districts of Přívoz, Mariánské Hory, Vítkovice and Poruba. If the weather is nice, you may also be able to see the peaks of the Beskydy Mountains and Poland on the horizon.
Why ‘New’ Town Hall?
The Town Hall was completed in 1930 but there is also an Old Town Hall in Ostrava, built in the 15th century, which is located on the Masaryk Square and now houses the Ostrava Museum. It served as a town hall until the beginning of the 20th century but as Ostrava started to grow thanks to the industrial development, the city hall was no longer able to accommodate the offices of the now third largest city in the Czech Republic, so the city started building a new town hall in 1925 which eventually became the largest town hall complex in the country.
Why is the tower made of steel?
Many visitors are surprised by the slender green steel tower, which rises above the brick building of the New Town Hall. In the original plans, the tower was also supposed to be brick-made but thanks to the unstable gravel soil beneath the building site, a unique reinforced concrete ribbed slab had to be placed in the foundations of the building and the tower itself had to be lighter. The solution was to make it out of steel. The skeleton with copper plating was made in the Dolní Vítkovice area.
Full of functionalism
The functionalist style is very apparent throughout the entire building. The architects used decorative elements very scarcely but focused instead on sober elegance, using high-quality materials: bronze, marble and noble wood. There is a functional paternoster – a period wooden cabin elevator from 1928 – which you can take between floors one and four. The facade of the building is decorated with four statues, symbolizing Mining, Metallurgy, Science and Trade, emblems of the old Ostrava.
Prolong your trip
The river Ostravice flows right behind the town hall, surrounded by a beautiful and spacious park Komenského sady, which will make you feel like you are in a western metropolis. Children ride bicycles, young people have picnics, yogis exercise on the piers by the river. In addition there is a beautiful linden alley located towards the end of the park.
Who to visit with?
Everyone from 3 to 100 years of age will enjoy the tower. The lift will take you all the way up to the observation deck where you can admire the view.
Concluding curiosities
- The entire tower weights 155 tons and the height of the lookout tower is 85.6 metres.
- The high-speed elevator, that takes you to the observation deck, is 51 metres and at the time was the highest in the country.
- The iconic tower clock weighs about two tons and has a diameter of 3.5 metres.
There is a 20% discount for holders of the OSTRAVACARD!!!
How to get here:
Enter the name of the stop or the street you wish to leave from and find the best transport connection.
