Return Ostrava 2010
What is Ostrava Arrivals?
The goal of the Ostrava Arrivals project, which was conceived by the stage and television director Radovan Lipus, is to map the roots of today’s Ostravans. On the basis of first-hand accounts, we are discovering when, from where and for what reasons people moved to Ostrava, how life in Ostrava was for them at that time and how life here is for them now, what their strongest memories connected with Ostrava are, whether they feel like Ostravans, and what relationship they have built with the city. Ostrava is the only city in the Czech Republic which, because of its unique development, can chart its modern history on the basis of direct testimony.

Why did this project originate in Ostrava?
Ostrava is exceptional, among other reasons, precisely because of its migrations and arrivals. It is a city that was created by new arrivals. Traditional patrician families who have lived here for centuries are terribly few in number. As time passed, Ostrava didn’t grow by layers, it exploded, and in several waves tens of thousands of new residents arrived here – no other Czech city has experienced this phenomenon in such massive proportions. What’s more, a number of the arrivals were exceptional in that they were connected in various ways to the political situation. A good many came as punishment, many were sent to the forced labour camps by court decree, many of them came on a so-called relocation order. This is unknown in other Czech cities, with a couple of exceptions. Very significantly represented were arrivals influenced by the political situation elsewhere, such as arrivals from Greece, or the Vietnamese community. Some people came to Ostrava seeking quick profit or accommodation. It wasn’t only labourers but also top professionals who came here and in whom the city had an interest.

Categories of Ostrava Arrivals
We have divided Ostrava Arrivals into several categories in order to help readers simplify their searches. It is possible to find stories by the name of the author and also according to the reason for their arrival in Ostrava. We can thus find arrivals for employment purposes, to study, for family reasons, arrivals from abroad, arrivals for political reasons, and also arrivals on placement orders. A special category is arrivals “through children’s eyes”. In this chapter we have placed compositions and pictures by young primary school students who are participating in the project.

Who has gotten involved in the project?
The Ostrava Arrivals project is open to everyone, from school children to senior citizens. On the basis of a public appeal, we have received and continue to receive stories from long-time residents as well as from primary and secondary school students who have gotten involved in the project. We are also cooperating with students and teachers at the University of Ostrava, primarily from the history and education departments. We are receiving interesting contributions from representatives of national minorities and foreigners who settled in Ostrava. Some of the media is also actively involved in the project, such as the daily newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes, Czech Radio Ostrava and the internet portal of the Moravian-Silesian Region, Solokapr.cz.

The testimonies we have received in written and sometimes even in audio or pictorial form can be found on our website under the categories Your Stories and Through Children’s Eyes.