The two-day visit demonstrated how far the city and MND have come in five years. The first day was devoted to Bažantnice and its surroundings, whilst the second involved a visit to MND’s refurbished headquarters on Úprkova Street and the MND Drilling & Services site in Lužice, where Komárek addressed the staff following the tour.

The transformation of Bažantnice in practice
Bažantnice is one of the places where the scale of the change is most evident. Over the course of a few years, the once-derelict area has been transformed into a series of successful projects that now serve both residents and visitors to the town. During the tour, Karel Komárek, his wife, and representatives of the town and the foundation set off from the railway station towards the new sports complex at U Červených domků. On the way, they passed the Hodonínské Dúbravy Nature Centre with its garden, which opened two years ago, as well as other newly landscaped parts of the area. Despite the rainy weather, they did not let it spoil their tour.

Today, the U Červených domků Park offers space for both sport and relaxation. The central area and circular path are used by runners, walkers and cyclists, and there is a workout zone, a climbing wall and open sports pitches. The emphasis was placed on the natural interconnection of the individual sections — without fences or barriers, and with open access for the public. The park is linked to other projects in Bažantnice, such as a sports complex, the park in front of the U Červených domků primary school, and a suburban forest park. The closest to completion is the children’s play area, which is due to open this autumn.

An unexpected encounter and a personal touch
One of the moments that captured the atmosphere of the entire visit was an unplanned encounter during a tour of the sports grounds. An elderly man approached Karel Komárek and introduced himself as his former primary school teacher. Their brief conversation served as a reminder that Hodonín holds personal significance for Komárek. At the same time, it highlighted the vital role played today by the newly built sports facilities that have been established in the area.

The complex includes, amongst other things, an athletics track, an outdoor gym and an area for javelin throwing and other activities.

The regeneration in figures
The scale of Hodonín’s transformation is also confirmed by specific figures. The original twelve projects that the town planned immediately after the tornado gradually developed into 24 projects with a total value of 788 million crowns. Approximately 2,500 people, along with dozens of organisations and architectural practices, were involved in the reconstruction.

According to Karel Komárek, the key to the entire transformation was a change in the town’s perspective on the disaster itself.

“The way in which Hodonín’s public spaces have been successfully restored is entirely unique and perfectly aligns with our way of thinking and working at the foundation. From the very beginning, the new buildings and parks have been driven by an effort to view the disaster and its devastating consequences as an opportunity to implement innovative projects in Hodonín that would have a positive impact on the lives of people across the entire region. The town embraced our way of thinking and approached the projects conceptually, with a long-term vision and the determination to secure further funding, which is why we were able to make the most of this opportunity.”

The role played by Karel Komárek and his family foundation was also recognised by the Mayor of Hodonín, Libor Střecha.

“Over the past five years, the pheasantry has literally been transformed before our very eyes. The Park U Červených domků, as well as other projects such as the House of Nature with its garden – which we officially opened two years ago – are the result of collaboration between the town, architects and local people. The Karel Komárek Family Foundation played a key role, helping us to change the way we think about public space,” said the mayor.

In recognition of the contribution Karel Komárek made to the town’s regeneration, the town awarded this local native honorary citizenship.

In addition to the construction projects themselves, the regeneration has also brought about a change in the town’s approach to planning and implementing transformations of public space. Emphasis was placed on collaboration, public involvement and multi-source funding.

“Thanks to the Komárek couple’s family foundation, the town of Hodonín had the opportunity to learn how to prepare and manage projects, how to collaborate with residents and various interest groups, how to secure multi-source funding for such projects, and how to approach this in a comprehensive and systematic manner. Here in Bažantnice, a great many architectural teams, volunteers and experts from a wide range of sectors are involved in the post-tornado restoration work,” added the mayor.