We will stay as long as there is a threat of demolition, assures activist from Bedřiška, Ostrava
The resistance of the residents of the Bedřiška settlement in Ostrava against the completion of the wave of demolitions of the houses there continues. Since November 13, regardless of the winter, frost and snow, supporters of the community, which, according to the leadership of the Mariánské Hory and Hulváky district town halls and the city, is to disappear, have been taking turns on the roof of one of the Finnish houses.
“We are still here. We will stay until there is certainty that this house will not be demolished,” assured one of the activists, Alena Jiříčková, on Monday morning.
Together with about fifteen other people from all over the country, they take turns on the tin roof of half of the Finnish house after an hour or two. “We are expecting the arrival of more supporters today,” she said.
They have facilities in the local community center, where they make tea, prepare food and some sleep there in sleeping bags.
In addition, efforts to reverse the demolition through official channels continue. "We are waiting for the decision of [the appeal to] the regional court, to which the tenant of the house, the neighboring half of which is to be demolished. She requested a preliminary injunction to stop the demolition," informed Bedřiška`s spokeswoman Eva Lehotská.
The woman argues, among other things, with an opinion proving that the apartment, which the district wants to raze to the ground, is in good condition.
Court decision
This week, Lehotská expects the regional court’s decision on the preliminary injunction and further negotiations that could reverse or move the situation forward.
The preservation of the settlement was supported, for example, by representatives of the Faculty of Social Studies of the University of Ostrava, who called on the city administration in an open letter to resolve the situation as the owner of the housing stock.
“We are glad that the mayor accepted the challenge. We have an appointment. We want to talk about the possibilities of a sustainable solution to the situation in Bedřiška,” said Soňa Kaledna Vávrová, Dean of the Faculty of Social Studies.
Researchers from the faculty have been mapping the situation in Bedřiška for almost ten years. They have organized an architectural workshop there in the past and have also prepared an analysis of the possible establishment of a social housing cooperative.
Faculty representatives recall in the call that the settlement came to light in the late 1990s as a segregation project of the Mariánské Hora and Hulváky town hall under the leadership of Liana Janáčková. The then mayor purposefully concentrated poor Roma there.
“Despite many moments of crisis, the local residents have created a functioning and cohesive community. They have also linked the fight for their own dignity with this location,” the authors state.
Liquidation plans since 2017
Since around 2017, the district administration has announced its intention to liquidate the settlement. “Many reasons have been formulated, from the unsatisfactory condition of the houses to the release of the site for strategic investments. However, no real concept has been presented that would clearly justify the need for eviction,” the researchers summarized in an open letter.
People around Bedřiška are currently also drawing attention to the problematic manner in which four houses were demolished on November 12, which people in the settlement were allegedly not aware of in advance.
The Bedřiška colony in Ostrava is destined to disappear, but many people there do not like it. (13 November 2025)
“We had a report prepared on the course of the demolitions by a demolition expert. The identified errors by the company and the district town hall will be taken up by two sides,” said Lehotská.
She wants to present the report to the Ostrava City Hall working group, which is specifically dealing with Bedřiška.
Proper contract
The mayor of Mariánské Hory and Hulvák Patrik Hujdus denied any irregularities in the demolition.
“The contract was properly tendered. And I was assured that everything went according to standards,” said Hujdus, who insists that the houses in the settlement are in poor condition and it is uneconomical to continue repairing them.
“We do not want to force anyone off their roofs, but we insist on our intention to demolish this and other uninhabited houses in Bedřiška,” said Hujdus.
Eva Lehotská also contacted the head of the ANO movement and likely future prime minister Andrej Babiš in Havířov on Friday.
"When Mr. Babiš heard Bedřišek, he disappeared and called his colleague Aleš Juchelka, who is supposed to be the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs. He only repeated what the district and the city said. I told him that no one was interested in the information and arguments of our, that is, the other side, and I asked for help. We`ll see," Lehotská said.
The construction company continues to clear the debris in the settlement. According to Lehotská, one family that lives in the second half of the demolished house is having problems. They say the water has frozen and they can`t heat the apartment.
Original article [translated by Google]
Photo: Protesting residents holding vigil on the roof. Source: idnes.cz.
