Wartime history of Ostrava

On Wednesday, December 3, 2025, at 5:00 p.m., another commemorative medal from the series "History of Ostrava – EightCenturies of the City" will be presented to the public in the foyer of Ostrava's New Town Hall. The central theme of this year's edition, "Ostrava at War," is complemented by the subtitle "Czechs, Germans, Poles, and Jews" – the four main nationalities that formerly lived in the city.

Young sculptor Jiří Hanuš has created a realistic yet symbolic and powerful work. He has placed the well-known events of the last days of World War II, with a tank of the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Armoured Brigade crossing the river from Moravská to Slezská Ostrava, in the technical framework of an iron bridge, where several characters with their individual fates meet. A Jewish mother protecting her child in her arms, a girl running away in fear, a fallen civilian and a boy who happened to be there by chance, as well as a displaced German leaving his city with a small suitcase and looking back. "All the figures of these people lost in time are executed inversely – instead of protruding from the metal, they recede into its depths. This imaginative solution greatly enhances the impression made by the medal maker's work," says Vítězslav Vilímek from the University of Ostrava, who has been involved in the design of the series of medals from the outset. "A good observer will, as always, discover impressive details. For example, an abandoned toy horse, which is not only a symbol of the loss of childhood caused by war experiences. The horse is also a symbol of Ostrava, which did not fall but still stands firm."

The reverse side of the medal, minted by the Czech Mint, remains unchanged throughout the cycle and is dominated by a heraldic figure of a horse with a five-petal rose by medal maker Asamat Baltaev. He was inspired by the design on the facade of the former German secondary school on today's Českobratrská Street.

"We look forward to meeting everyone who is interested in the history of their city and who likes coins, medals, and small-scale sculpture," adds Petr Maďa, the driving force behind the entire project. "Ostrava's artist Lenka Kocierzová has prepared beautiful black-and-white graphics on the theme of wartime Ostrava, which we will also present at the New Town Hall."