Ostrava - Socialist Realism in Architecture / OSTRAVA

The so-called proletarian palaces from the early 1950s, looked grand from the outside, even if in fact they concealed rather small flats within. The municipality of Poruba became the site of largescale construction, in the Soviet socialist realist style, before it became a new part of the larger city of Ostrava in 1957. Although inspired by Russian neo-classicism it added certain characteristic Czech architectural components, such as sgraffiti, which depicted working people playing with children. This was a major urban development project, as a whole new neighbourhood was built in Ostrava. While one can disagree on the quality of the architecture, the urban development solution is clearly excellent. The fact that this is still considered as the best residential area of Ostrava, proves the point.