Archaeologists discovered an old staircase in the former OD Breda, which had been unused for almost 100 years. It belongs to the original building of the department store, which was rebuilt to its present form in 1927 by the architect Leopold Bauer.
Tomáš Navrátil (ANO), mayor of Opava: “It’s amazing, I went there to see, the past simply breathes on you and it’s a huge beauty, the paintings have been preserved and I think that this is not the last secret that Breda will reveal or show us.”
Marek Zygula, administrator of Breda: “We are uncovering underground water here, and in the floor plan with the conservationists we selected one place where a probe was made and this staircase was exposed here. The staircase is steel covered with wooden parquets and with all the decorative details, because it was supposed to be a lavish shopping center by David Weinstein.”
A newly revealed staircase led to this room, which used to be a housewares store, located 7 meters below Republic Square.
Marek Zygula, administrator of Breda: “This is purely the entrance to the shop, which was located on the second underground floor. This staircase actually existed until 1928, probably when Breda arrived. It was functional even during the construction period, and thus then it was covered with this concrete ceiling, walled up and was no longer needed for the new department store.”
The place now has to be preserved to prevent mold growth, as it has been there for almost 100 years with basically the same humidity and the same temperature.
Tags: Breda hiding secret year historic staircase Opava News POLAR
