“It’s official, we will be reconstructing the former Gabriela Mine. And that’s not all. The POHO Park Gabriela project will create a place in the Karviná region where people can come not only for entertainment but also to learn about the history of mining. We will build a center for the post-mining landscape, which will serve as both a starting point and a crossroads for trails through the area. The Gabriela Mine is just a short distance from the Leaning Church, which has drawn significant attention to this place and its history in recent years. I believe that the new visitor, cultural, and technological center will make this area even more attractive,” said Jakub Unucka, First Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region for Industry, Energy, and Smart Region, adding that the total project cost is estimated at 503 million CZK. The Ministry of the Environment has granted the region a subsidy of 428 million CZK from the Just Transition Operational Program, with 75 million CZK coming from the regional budget.
In addition to an exhibition on the life of miners and coal mining, the reconstructed cultural monument, which has been deteriorating for the past 20 years, will offer representative spaces for conferences, workshops, festivals, and other various events. “We owe a lot to the post-mining landscape of the Karviná region. The extraction of black coal has drastically changed this area. Anyone who has seen photos of Old Karviná or read the novel chronicle ‘The Leaning Church’ knows that due to industry, entire streets with houses and gardens, schools, shops, and pubs have disappeared. The daily lives of local people have also changed. Mining brought hard labor here, along with the tragedies of miners and their families. We have several mining museums in the country, but our exhibition will be different. It will not just show old lanterns, spades, and leather aprons; it will tell human stories, remind visitors of the history of this place, and express respect for the victims and the lives of people deeply affected by mining,” said Deputy Governor Jakub Unucka, adding that the flexible exhibition will be located in the underground engine room, where the original mining machines and related operational technologies were housed.
The annual operating costs of POHO Park Gabriela are estimated at 12 million CZK. These will be covered by the regional budget, with contributions expected from the city of Karviná. “We welcome any investment that comes to Karviná. I firmly believe that POHO Park Gabriela will not be the only project within the Just Transition Fund approved for the Karviná area. In any case, I am looking forward to the POHO Park Gabriela project and believe it will attract many new tourists to Karviná,” said Karviná Mayor Jan Wolf.
POHO Park Gabriela will be operated by the registered association POHOPARK, whose members include the Moravian-Silesian Region, the regional company MSID, the city of Karviná, and the Dokořán association. “As the Dokořán Initiative, we operate the Lodičky leisure area in Karviná. We are entering the preparation of POHO Park Gabriela with a vision to ensure the program and operational content reflect not only the region’s past but also its development towards a modern future. We would like to implement a diverse program, both in the form of permanent attractions and events. However, we don’t want to do this alone. Just as the project is a hub and intersection of activities in the post-mining landscape, we would like the association to become a coordinator and supporter of activities already functioning in the region. We will build its operation heavily on cooperation,” said Michael Sikora, a board member and project manager of the DOKOŘÁN Initiative, adding that the project also includes the construction of a new visitor information center with amenities. The area will feature rest areas with a small bistro, pathways, bike trails, and relaxation areas. A major attraction will be a via ferrata route to the top of one of the mine’s towers.
“The project preparations did not wait for the subsidy approval. The complete project documentation for the mine’s reconstruction is already being processed and should be ready by the end of the year. In the coming months, we will also begin a rescue archaeological survey of the former mine site. The construction itself is expected to begin between 2025 and 2026. Although POHO Park Gabriela will welcome its first visitors in the second half of 2027, we are planning a program that will gradually bring this extraordinary place to life and increase its visibility even before the reconstruction is completed,” said Petr Birklen, Vice Chairman of the MSID Board, who oversees the POHO 2030 program focused on the new use of the post-mining area.
Work has also begun on preparing the exhibition on the life of miners and black coal mining. “Together with the renowned company AV Media, we are preparing a very ambitious exhibition design, in collaboration with an international expert. I am pleased that, in addition to technical experts in museum exhibitions, we have also brought on board Karin Lednická, a passionate advocate for the region. In about a month, we will have a study outlining the arrangement of the exhibition space and the exhibition itself, its script, and scenography. Experts will then begin work on the exhibition’s project documentation, which should be completed by the fall of this year,” concluded Deputy Governor Jakub Unucka.
