Hana Tichánková (CZE)

Her priorities include creating an excellent business environment, ensuring that people have access to affordable housing, and providing high-quality education; all these are key factors for Ostrava’s current and future prosperity. She is a firm believer in Ostrava’s potential, and she strives to help it become a vibrant, friendly and welcoming city that will gain deserved appreciation and respect.

“I could list numerous strengths of the city – for example our vibrant cultural life or the fact that in recent years we have become renowned as a city of sport, offering excellent facilities to citizens as well as hosting major international sporting events that attract large crowds. We have an ideal location, with the mountains just twenty minutes away as well as beautiful natural scenery right here in the city itself. Ostrava’s environment is much better than its media image suggests. The city is changing every year – as I witnessed first-hand when I was Deputy Mayor in Ostrava-Jih. The renovation of the ‘Jubilee’ housing estate (Jubilejní kolonie) has been very successful with the public, and it comes as a pleasant surprise to many people who are not familiar with the city. Another successful project has been the transformation of the historic city slaughterhouse to create a new home for the PLATO contemporary art gallery. I could list plenty more examples in addition to these. So when people underestimate Ostrava, or don’t fully appreciate the city, I think that’s mainly due to a lack of knowledge about what we have here, combined with the negative image we had in the past – and perhaps also the fact that many local people aren’t fully aware of what their own city offers.”