Jan Dohnal (CZE)

He graduated from the University of Ostrava with a degree in Demography and Social Geography/Regional Development. He is a member of the Civic Democratic Party (ODS). Before entering active politics, he was in the real estate business; from 2008 he was the co-owner and managing director of a real estate company. Jan Dohnal has been a member of the Ostrava-Jih Municipal District Assembly since 2002. He has been the Mayor of Ostrava since April 2023.

At Meltingpot, it is the second time that Jan Dohnal is joining Steven Holl on stage. They first appeared together last October at Europe’s largest real estate event in Munich, when they spoke about the same topic.
“Building a new concert hall in Ostrava will bring major benefits on several levels. With its unique design created by a world-renowned architect, the building will catapult us into Europe’s cultural elite, attracting tourists from the Czech Republic and abroad as well as stimulating a range of other activities connected with cultural and community life. The concert hall will also make a major contribution to the rapidly evolving central part of Ostrava, alongside other planned buildings that will serve various purposes. It offers us the opportunity to raise the city’s profile with a structure as iconic as Sydney’s Opera House – and that’s an opportunity we need to take,” says the Mayor.