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.

An elderly man with gray hair sits on a beige couch in a living room, wearing a blue shirt and black pajama pants, with slippers on his feet. He appears to be in a contemplative mood, with his hands clasped in his lap. A painting of a landscape hangs on the wall behind him, and there's a patterned rug on the wooden floor. Curtains let in natural light, illuminating the room.
A solitary cross standing in a foggy field with faint trees in the background.
Industrial cityscape with a smokestack, factory buildings, train tracks, and a large black pile in the foreground, late evening with overcast sky.
A foggy, dirt road with tire tracks and a guardrail on the left side, disappearing into the foggy distance.
Foggy industrial landscape with a factory in the distance, a treeline, and a river reflecting the scene, with a person kayaking on the river.
Burnt hillside with blackened vegetation and green moss, charred trees in the background, foggy sky.
A woman working at a sewing machine in a workshop.
A foggy landscape with a wet road leading toward a church with a dome in the background, barely visible through the fog.
A room filled with red fire extinguishers, a person in blue work clothes holding a fire extinguisher, and shelves with fire safety equipment.