The corporate town of Havířov
Havířov is the youngest town of the Czech Republic. On December, 4th , 1955 the town of Havířov gained city rights by virtue of appropriate degree of the Czech government in today´s historical building of the cinema called Radost. The name of the town was chosen in a public tender from even incredible and breakneck proposals.
The town of Havířov was officially founded as a residential area for people working in the neighbouring coal mines in Petřvald and Radvanice. Havířov is a new and modern town. Its beginnings are connected with the construction of mining settlements in cadastral territories of Šenov-Šumbark and Dolní Bludovice. After its foundation it had a population of about 12,000, in 1961 it had over 53,000 inhabitants, 5 years later the population reached nearly 73,000 and in 1975 when Horních Suchá was joined to the town of Havířov, the population was over 90,000. In 1985 the population of Havířov reached its maximum, it had over 94,000 inhabitants. Nowadays the town has a population of 81,000.
The centre of the town was built during the socialistic period of Czechoslovakia in the 1950s. The town core of Havířov built in this way is considered as being Czech traditionalism and it is called socialistic realism or “Sorela”. In 1992 the historical town core was proclaimed as a national monument. It is area with multifamily dwellings between forest park Stromovka on one side and Meanders of the Lučina River on the opposite one. At the north-west end the chateau and St. Ann´s Church are included into the protected area and that is limited by the Centrum cinema at the south-east end. The architects who designed flats in fast developing area of Ostrava and surroundings did not want to build new houses in bourgeois pre-war style and that is why they turned to Czech renaissance for inspiration, which is predicted by numerous mouldings, gables, scratch-works and sgrafitti that decorate the houses. As a matter of fact, the meanders of the Lučina River with its rare species belong to the natural landmark of the town of Havířov. The main object of protection is uncontrolled river flow of the Lučina River that curls in many meanders in several metres high greybeard alluviums. In this way unfettered river allows further development of river meanders that constantly change their position and shape. By means of manger forming activity the Lučina river participates in creation of the watercourse with gorgeous mosaic of emplacements, such as loamy-sandy alluviums, regularly changing rapids and pools with alluvial trunks or brashy holms and undermined trees from the area of bank vegetation. There are to dams near Havířov - Žermanice Dam and Těrlicko Dam. Thanks to the accommodation facilities of all categories Těrlicko and Žermanice Dam became very popular place to spend the vacation. The Těrlicko Dam allows you to practice almost all kinds of water sports. The Těrlicko Dam also disposes of an electric water ski tow which is available for the public. The Beskydy mountains are very suitable for those who prefer winter sports and hiking all year. Even though the town of Havířov is the very young town, it can take pride in several historical landmarks. Empire chateau is worth being named. The history of the chateau dates back supposedly to the 15th century where there used to be a fort at the place. Coming down written materials about the fort are dated to 1588. By the end of the 18th century the chateau was rebuilt in the baroque style and gardens were built there. After a devastating fire in 1823 it was repaired and completely reconstructed in the empire style. Since 1845 the chateau hasn´t served as a hall and it has had a function of an administrative building for an adjoining grange. Gradual damage followed under various direction till 1997 when thanks to the town extensive reconstruction of the chateau began. Since then it has offered luxurious accommodation, there is also a stylish restaurant including lounges for various opportunities inside. Kotula´s wooden cottage is the oldest timbered folk building in the Těšín´s area. The timbered cottage of a rectangular ground-plan on plastered brick bedding with saddled roof covered with thatches was built in 1781. Nowadays, there is the exhibition of the way of life by turn of the 19th and 20th centuries in central part of Tešín´s Silesia. The town of Havířov is the town of a high environmental quality, greenery in the town centre, a low degree of air pollution and the town of a minimal surface degradation of landscape caused by shaft mining.
