02 VÍTKOVICE IRONWORKS AND UKRAINE
The Vítkovice Ironworks supplied a wide range of products for transportation, energy, shipbuilding and the construction industry. Even before 1914, part of their production was directed to eastern markets, including the territory of today's Ukraine.
RAILWAY STATION IN LVIV
Lviv, currently the largest city in western Ukraine, was part of the Austrian monarchy between 1772 and 1918, along with the rest of Galicia. In 1903 and 1904, the Vítkovice Ironworks constructed 158-metre-long train station halls in Lviv, which are still in use today. At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Lviv train station turned into a transit centre for refugees, with some heading to European countries and others to safer places within Ukraine.
BRIDGE OVER THE DNIEPER RIVER IN ZAPOROZHYE
Construction of the bridge over the Dnieper River began in May 1930, and it entered trial operation in December of the same year. The bridge, spanning 380 metres, was designed as a two-level structure, with railway tracks for two-way traffic on the upper level and road traffic below. The impressive structure was destroyed by a Soviet air raid in September 1943, during the German occupation of Ukraine.
METALLURGICAL PLANT AZOVSTAL IN MARIUPOL
Between 1967 and 1974, the Vítkovice Ironworks built a modern heavy plate rolling mill at the AZOVSTAL Steelworks in Mariupol (formerly Zhdanov). With a total cost of CZK 2.36 billion, the deal was known as the "contract of the century". The new plant had a production capacity of 1.7 million tonnes of metal plates per year. On 24 February 2022, Mariupol was besieged by Russian invading troops. The AZOVSTAL Steelworks became the last point of resistance for the city's defenders. On 20 May, Russian troops took control of the entire city, and the plant was destroyed during the fighting.
