Ostrava’s university new campus breathes life into a city reinventing itself

In a new episode of Czechast, we stay in Ostrava, once the proud industrial heart of Czechoslovakia. The city has faced tough decades since the fall of heavy industry, but new projects are giving it a fresh pulse. Among them is the University of Ostrava’s city campus — a symbol of how education and creativity can help renew even the most hard-hit regions.

Ostrava: From coal and steel to classrooms and studios

Ostrava City Campus|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

Ostrava, long known for its coal mines, steelworks, and smokestacks, went through one of the most painful economic transformations in Czechia after the 1990s. Many believed the city could only rise from the ashes of its industrial decline. Yet, even today, it remains one of the country’s less privileged regions — a place where many young people still leave in search of opportunity elsewhere.

But the city, and its university, are working hard to change that. The University of Ostrava’s new city campus, built on what used to be an industrial brownfield, has become a symbol of renewal. It brings together several faculties — from sports to natural sciences and fine arts — in an open, green space designed to make students feel proud of their city again.

Ostrava City Campus|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

A place for energy, movement, and belonging

When Czechast visited the campus, Jan Plešek, Assistant Professor and internationalization coordinator at the Faculty of Sports Studies, showed me around.

Jan Plešek|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

“It’s a brand-new campus,” Plešek explains. “We moved here in February 2023. There’s a running track, outdoor space for exercise, and places where students can relax between classes.” More than just an architectural project, the campus is breathing new life into a part of the city that was once defined by dust and silence. “You can now see young people and families walking around, doing sports,” Plešek adds. “That’s really important for Ostrava as a city.”

Creativity in a former industrial zone

Ostrava City Campus|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

The transformation is not only about sports and science. The Faculty of Fine Arts, located just across the campus, brings a creative heartbeat to this former industrial area.

Lecturer Michaela Váchalová guided me through one of the faculty’s most unusual rooms — a teaching space that blurs the line between study and artistic experiment. “It’s really for teaching,” she explains. “It’s part of the study program.”

Together, these initiatives are turning Ostrava’s post-industrial landscape into something entirely new: a place where education, art, and innovation coexist — and where a new generation of students might finally decide to stay.

Ostrava City Campus|Photo: Vít Pohanka, Radio Prague International

Examples like Ostrava’s new City Campus show how crucial such projects can be for regions that have struggled to reinvent themselves after the decline of heavy industry. In places like the Silesia region and other former industrial heartlands of Czechia, investments in education, art, and innovation are not just about new buildings — they are about giving people new reasons to stay, to study, and to believe in their cities again. So, if you want to learn more, listen to the full audio version of Czechast.

Fact box – City Campus, University of Ostrava

• Opened: February 2023
• Location: Built on a former brownfield site near the Ostravice River, close to the city centre
• Main purpose: To bring together education, art, sport, and research in one modern complex
• Faculties housed: Faculty of Sports Studies, Faculty of Fine Arts and Music
• Facilities:50 specialised classrooms and laboratories, concert and exhibition halls, art studios, digital workshops, and creative spaces
  
  
• Known for: 200-metre running track located on the roof of one of the main buildings
• Design and construction: Two principal buildings — one focused on sports and behavioural health, the other on arts and design
• Public access: Selected exhibitions and art spaces open to visitors; outdoor areas available for community use