The walk brings together the most significant projects of the First Republic era, beginning with the Breda & Weinstein department store – the most important building of the period in Opava and a highlight of Leopold Bauer’s career. From there, it continues to the Upper Square (Horní náměstí), where a number of First Republic buildings stand, in particular the “špalíček” block near the Hláska Tower. Among these are Otto Reichner’s Niedermeyer Café and the building for Frieda Teitelbaum, designed by Vienna-based architect Harald Bauer. Almost opposite stands the corner house of František Havlický, probably designed by Prague architect Gotthard Faika. Other stops include adaptations of older buildings, such as the Post Office on Masarykova třída (Masaryk Avenue), whose conversion from a Neo-Renaissance palace was designed by Brno architect Miloslav Kopřiva in a style transitional between modern architecture and the so-called “arched style”. On the ring road in sady Svobody (Svobody Park), Erich Geldner designed the strikingly simple Drechsler Printing House. A more elaborate approach characterizes the St. Elizabeth Hospital, recently converted into housing. The walk concludes with a reminder that the 20th century was the century of technology, with the final stop at the electric current converter station – a unique technical monument from the late 1920s.
