COKE
Photographic representation of Ostrava and the surrounding areas documenting how the fate of the local inhabitants and the historical development of the city was influenced by the underground reserves of coal. The Ostrava-Karvina coal basin in the north eastern part of the Czech Republic, close to the borders with Poland, contains up to 90% of all coal resources in our country. The fate of this place was already sealed in the past by the exploitation of mineral deposits, which influenced not only landscape, but also social factors in the given region. New labour force, which was coming from many different parts of the Czech Republic but also from the neighbouring countries, significantly increased the population density of the area. Hand in hand with this phenomenon went the need to build new housing estates and, later on, also new towns.
However, in spite of the fact that the region flourished then, it looks very much different nowadays. There are no crowds of miners streaming home between their shifts since they have been severely affected by the mines closures. Those who have been coming here for decades suddenly lost their jobs and clear vision of the future. The mining is still going only on the outskirts together with an extensive metallurgical industry, which is historically linked to the coal production. In a short time, the booming city and the „steel” heart of the Czech Republic, changed into a place where people do not have a reason to stay and move out to other areas. The local landscape is much affected by the influence of the past mining activities and air pollution, which is the serious concern of the industrial region of Ostrava.
