Jan Wolf is a native from Karviná, where he lives and works. He studied Economics and held managerial positions in the banking sector. He started to be interested in municipal economic development as a deputy and later, since 2018, as the mayor of the city. His passions includes Karviná football and cycling.
Karviná as a city and its industry used to be a long-term core of the state economic potential. What are the visions and priorities of this city today?
Karvina used to be a long-term core of the state economic potential and this is how the state should look at it even now. The state should realize that all the mineral wealth mined in Karvina brought, for a long-time, economic benefi ts to the entire country. Now it is the state’s turn to pay back at least a fraction of what it was given by this region. However, it is not about Karviná waiting, with an outstretched hand, for state actions. We are
actively working on numerous projects and we try to meet new challenges halfway. We would like to improve the standard of living for local inhabitants, to ensure enough job opportunities, regardless of the planned decline in mining, to change the state of infrastructure and much more.
We have prepared an integrated plan – Karviná High Five. Our preparation is not only at the level of integrated plans, but it is also practical. For example, we have purchased the premises of the former district construction company (OSP) in the city centre, which we are now preparing for future practical use and we are actively looking for an investor to come here. As regards the city infrastructure development, we are currently working on several major projects. We will reconstruct three buildings in the Karviná Fryšták square. These houses were acquired after complicated negotiations, and they are now owned by the city of Karviná. Currently a new leisure sports complex in the city centre is under construction and
we are planning to remove mud from Lodičky, which is a large leisure water area in the Castle Park. The last major project which I would like to mention is the indoor swimming pool reconstruction, which is going to be the biggest construction investment in the recent times. There are a lot of things being done, but without state support, the transition to the post – mining era will be extremely diffi cult.
There are a lot of multinationals based in Karviná industrial zones.
What can Karviná city off er to potential investors, in cooperation with the State and Regional Authorities?
I would like to mention one crucial project here, Smart Park Karviná. It is an industrial site located above Barbora, which we are working on in cooperation with the Moravian and Silesian Region and the Ministry of Industry and Trade. It is complicated due to land ownership by a private company, Arsenal Land, and we, as a city, do not have enough fi nancial means to purchase this area to build infrastructure there and to off er it to incoming investors. Here again, we would need support and
cooperation of the state.
Karviná is an underappreciated place to live. What places of interest can it off er to citizens and tourists?
Karviná is said to even have its own sea. Cinemas, parks, outdoor wimming
pools, an indoor swimming pool, tens of kilometres of cycling paths, first -league football and extra-league handball, a library, the Silesian University, the Darkov Spa and much more. I am convinced that Karviná has better
facilities than many other Czech cities. We even have our ”sea”. It is a huge water area, close to which we have built a leisure centre – a sandy beach, piers, changing rooms and other amenities – this year. It was the first stage. As this first stage was met with a great response, we are planning to continue next year and expand the “Karviná sea “facilities even more.
Finally, we are preparing new areas for housing. I think that Karviná is a pleasant place to live for existing citizens as well as for newcomers.
