Gong Multifunctional Auditorium

A perfect example of how an old industrial area can be transformed into a modern cultural stand is the Gong auditorium in Dolní Vítkovice. Today, no one in the hall would realise that they are in a huge gas tank. Yet from the outside, there is nothing to suggest that this industrial building houses modern halls, exhibition spaces and restaurants.

It is a huge cylinder that, thanks to the retractable roof, has increased in volume according to how much gas the blast furnaces have produced. It is even said that the owners of the ironworks, when they came to Ostrava, could tell from a distance by the size of the gas chamber whether iron production was running at full speed. During the liberation of Ostrava at the end of the Second World War, the gasholder got hit by an aerial bomb. If it had exploded in an environment full of gas, a large part of the city would have turned into a crater. The bomb flew through the gasholder and lodged in the sludge at the bottom, where it remained unexploded until 1970!

The giant building was given a new life after the end of iron production and after Dolní Vítkovice gradually became a tourist attraction of Ostrava. The original space was transformed into a multifunctional hall that can accommodate up to 1,500 spectators. However, it still retains much of its original form, so for example, on the floor at the entrance you walk in style on metal plates connected by huge rivets. Concerts, balls and similar events are held here. The hall has won award after award, with the Gong being ranked among the top 10 buildings in the world at the Munich trade fair.

The entire Dolní Vítkovice, which is among other things the venue of the Colours of Ostrava music festival, is being transformed into a cultural stand.

Contact

Návštěvnické centrum Dolní Vítkovice
Ruská 2993/20
703 00 Ostrava, Vítkovice
E-mail: nkp@dolnivitkovice.cz
Web: https://www.dolnivitkovice.cz
Tel.: +420 724 955 121