This is an industrial area origination from the 1st half of the 19th century. In the early 1990s, the first important technical objects and equipment in the Vítkovice Ironworks [Vítkovické železárny], in the lower part of Vítkovice, were declared pieces of the Czech Cultural Heritage. In 2002, in view of its exceptional character, the entire ground was declared a site of National Cultural Heritage.
This is where the original balling furnace, founded by Archbishop Rudolf and dating from 1828, the first of its kind in the entire Austrian monarchy, used to stand. The first blast furnace was put into operation here in 1836. The Hlubina Mine, originating in 1843, became an inseparable part of the complete manufacturing chain. There was the complete technological flow: the mining of coal, a coke plant, and iron and steel production, all of which was unique to the Czech Republic. This historic landmark was listed as the European Cultural Heritage in 2008.
The Vítkovice complex Dolní oblast is set to undergo extensive reconstruction. The giant gas container for blast furnace gas (around 70 m wide and 33 m high) was modified into a concert hall for 1,500 visitors, a gallery, café, etc., based on design by leading Czech architect, Josef Pleskot. Blast Furnace no 1 become the start of a tour route, and the sixth energy central office will become an industrial museum (project authored by Václav and Helena Zemánkový).