Proposals for the awarding of honorary citizenship of the city may be submitted to the City Assembly by its members, the City Council of Ostrava (hereinafter referred to as the “City Council Executive Board”), or committees of the City Assembly. Proposals may also be submitted through the city council by the authorities of the city districts of the statutory city of Ostrava. Citizens of the Statutory City of Ostrava, self-employed individuals with their place of business within the territory of the Statutory City of Ostrava, and legal entities with their registered office within the territory of the Statutory City of Ostrava may submit proposals through the Mayor’s Office Department of the Ostrava City Hall. The following consolidated Rules for the Awarding of Honorary Citizenship and Awards of the Statutory City of Ostrava must be observed.

There are no formal requirements for nominations, but you can use this simple form, for example.

Below is a list of all recipients of the Honorary Citizen of Ostrava award, which has been presented by the Ostrava City Assembly in recent years. The awards are listed chronologically, in the order in which honorary citizenship was granted.

Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk

• Description of activities: President of Czechoslovakia from 1918 to 1935.
• Reason for award: For special merits in service to the Czechoslovak state on the occasion of Masaryk’s 85th birthday.
• Awarded by and date: Ceremonial meeting of the City Assembly on March 7, 1935.

Edvard Beneš

• Description of activities: President of the Czechoslovak Republic.
• Reason for award: An honor bestowed as a sign of deep respect and grateful devotion for services rendered to the nation and the state.
• Awarded by and date: City Assembly of Moravská Ostrava, May 27, 1938.
• Revoked: By decision of the Government Commissioner of the city of Moravská Ostrava on 14 October 1939.
• Re-awarded: On 25 March 1946 at the plenary session of the Central National Committee.

Army General Andrej Ivanovič Jeremenko

• Description of activities: Commander of the 4th Ukrainian Front; from 1955, Marshal of the USSR.
• Reason for award: For merits in the liberation of the city of Moravská Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the National Committee, 29 May 1945.

Marie Bobyreva (Tamara)

• Description of activities: University professor in Kyiv, Soviet intelligence officer, member of the Soviet intelligence group Avantgarda.
• Reason for award: For merits in the liberation of the city of Moravská Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the National Committee, 29 May 1945.

Josef David

• Description of activities: Chairman of the Provisional Constituent National Assembly and Deputy Prime Minister from 1945 to 1948; member of the Czechoslovak National Socialist Party.
• Reason for award: For outstanding work abroad during the period of German occupation and for merits in the restoration of the Czechoslovak Republic.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the National Committee, 24 August 1945.
• Revoked: At the plenary session of the Unified National Committee, 31 May 1951.
• Re-awarded: On 14 September 1990 at an extraordinary plenary session of the National Committee.

Jan Šrámek

• Description of activities: Chairman of the People’s Party, Deputy Prime Minister until 1948.
• Reason for award: For outstanding work abroad during the period of German occupation and for merits in the restoration of the Czechoslovak Republic.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the National Committee, 24 August 1945.
• Revoked: At the plenary session of the Central National Committee, 5 April 1948.
• Re-awarded: On 14 September 1990 at an extraordinary plenary session of the National Committee.

Bohumil Laušman

• Description of activities: Minister of Industry from 1945 to 1948; Chairman of the Czechoslovak Social Democratic Party from 1947 to 1948.
• Reason for award: For his activities abroad during the occupation of the Republic and for his merits in the nationalization of heavy industry.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the Central National Committee, 25 March 1946.
• Revoked: On 31 May 1951 at the plenary session of the Central National Committee.
• Re-awarded: On 14 September 1990 at an extraordinary plenary session of the National Committee.

Army General Ludvík Svoboda

• Description of activities: Minister of National Defence from 1945 to 1950.
• Reason for award: For merits in organizing and commanding military units in the USSR from 1939 to 1945; for merits in the battles of Sokolovo and Dukla; and for merits in the liberation of Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the Central National Committee, 18 April 1947.

Petr Bezruč

• Description of activities: Poet, National Artist.
• Reason for award: For his lifelong poetic work.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the Central National Committee, 18 April 1947.

Vojtěch Martínek

• Description of activities: Secondary school professor, member of the Academy of Sciences and Arts, Chairman of the Circle of Moravian Writers.
• Reason for award: For long-standing and productive work in education, literature, public enlightenment, and journalism.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the Central National Committee, 18 April 1947.

Bohumil Malý

• Description of activities: Physician.
• Reason for award: For 30 years of successful medical practice, particularly in the fight against tuberculosis in the Ostrava region.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the Central National Committee, 23 September 1948.

Josef Reiner

• Description of activities: Reserve Lieutenant Colonel.
• Reason for award: For merits in the battles during the liberation of Ostrava, during which he lost his sight.
• Awarded by and date: Plenary session of the City National Committee, 9 April 1965.

Emanuel Šrámek

• Description of activities: Reserve Colonel.
• Reason for award: For merits in the liberation of the city of Ostrava in 1945.
• Awarded by and date: Extraordinary plenary session of the National Committee, 14 September 1990.

Jarmila Hrdličková

• Description of activities: Secretary of the Regional Secretariat of the National Socialist Party in Pardubice (1946–48). In 1950, sentenced to 20 years in a high-security prison (released after 8 years), fined 10,000 Czechoslovak korunas, had property confiscated, and lost civil rights.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Milada Lubojacká

• Description of activities: Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to 16 years in prison for alleged treason (released after 8 years). After her release, she worked in a water treatment plant.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Vlasta Pospěchová

• Description of activities: Independent clerk in the personnel department of the Ostrava-Karviná Power Plants. In 1954, sentenced to 10 years in prison for alleged treason (released under the 1960 amnesty). During imprisonment, she suffered twice from hepatitis and typhoid.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Dobromil Cvrkal

• Description of activities: Athlete – middleweight champion. Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to 15 years in prison; during 8 months of detention, he was brutally tortured and beaten. Served his sentence in the Jáchymov mines and was released in 1960 under an amnesty. Afterwards, he worked for DPMO until retirement. After 1989, he was active in civic committees.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Alois Čoček

• Description of activities: Soldier. Sentenced by the State Court in Prague to 8 years in prison; released in 1953 under conditions. In 1954, the Regional Court in Ostrava sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Released in 1960 under an amnesty. Later employed by Dopravní stavby Olomouc and, from 1962, worked as a carpenter at Vítkovice Ironworks. 
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Vladimír Daniel

• Description of activities: Previously employed in the economic department of Vítkovice Ironworks. In 1955, sentenced to 20 years in prison for alleged treason; released under an amnesty and in 1961 sentenced again to 12 years. After his release in 1968, he returned to work at Vítkovice Ironworks.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Jan Filip

• Description of activities: During World War II, member of the anti-fascist resistance; after the war, clerk at the Regional National Committee (KNV) and dispatcher for civil construction. In 1955, arrested and sentenced to 12 years for alleged treason; released in 1960 under an amnesty. In 1961, arrested again and sentenced to 13 years; released as permanently disabled with a broken spine. Later worked occasionally as a guard, laborer, and machinist. Signatory of Charter 77; after November 1989, active in civic committees. 
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Council of Ostrava (ZMO), 27 April 1993.

Evžen Haluzík

• Description of activities: Judge at the Regional Court in Olomouc. Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to 12 years in high-security prison for alleged treason; imprisoned in the Jáchymov mines and released in 1960 under an amnesty. Subsequently worked at Meopta Přerov until 1972.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Stanislav Hampel

• Description of activities: Arrested in 1948 and sentenced to 15 years in high-security prison; released in 1959. Worked as a cutter in a paper mill, later as a glass grinder, and as a temporary worker at the P. Bezruč Mine. After finishing temporary work, employed as a laborer in civil construction, later working as a foreman.
• Reason for award: for participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Miloslav Hladiš

• Description of activities: Chief physician of the gynecology department in Nový Jičín. In 1950, arrested and sentenced by the State Court in Brno to 14 years in prison, fined 20,000 Czechoslovak korunas, and deprived of civil rights. During imprisonment, served as a prison doctor; released after 8 years with a diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. Subsequently worked as a mine electrician at the Odra Mine. In 1961, civil rights were restored, allowing him to work as a hospital radiologist in Vsetín; later employed as a company doctor at Bytostav in Poruba.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-fascist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Emil Chorovský

• Description of activities: Staff Sergeant of the Public Security (Veřejná bezpečnost). Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to life imprisonment. Served his sentence in the Jáchymov mines and released in 1960 after a serious injury. Worked as a doorman at the Petr Bezruč Theatre until 1971. In 1991, promoted to Captain in the Czech Police.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Miloslav Krejza

• Description of activities: In 1950, sentenced to 16 years in prison for alleged espionage and treason; released under the 1960 amnesty. After November 1989, active in civic committees.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Aseembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

František Kubáň

• Description of activities: Machinist locksmith. In 1949, sentenced to 25 years in prison for alleged treason and espionage. Endured harsh pre-trial detention for 9 months and spent two years in the Jáchymov mines. Released after 11 years and subsequently worked as a laborer at NHKG.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

František Kuchrýk

• Description of activities: During World War II, participant in the domestic resistance; arrested by the Gestapo in 1942. After liberation, appointed commander of an American army unit, police commissioner, and mayor of Kraslice. In 1950, sentenced to 25 years in prison for alleged espionage. Served his sentence in Jihlava, Jáchymov, Pankrác, and Leopoldov, where he was severely mistreated. Released after 11 years under an amnesty. Forbidden to work in his original profession, he worked as a laborer.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Zdeněk Růžička

• Description of activities: Trained as a metalworker; handball player for SK Slezská Ostrava. Arrested in 1949 and, in 1950, sentenced by the State Court in Brno to 14 years in high-security prison for activities in the Sýkora group and associates. Imprisoned in Jáchymov and Valdice. Released in 1960 under an amnesty.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Ctibor Seidl

• Description of activities: Farmer. Arrested in 1949 and sentenced for participation in the Světlana-Makyta group. Released in 1960 under an amnesty and subsequently worked as a carpenter at VOKD.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Council of Ostrava (ZMO), 27 April 1993.

Jan Schneider

• Description of activities: Trained as a welder. Briefly arrested in 1948 for opposing the policies of the communist regime. Emigrated to West Germany but soon returned. Later in 1948, arrested again and sentenced to 20 years in prison for plots against the Republic. After an unsuccessful escape from Bory Prison, sentenced to an additional 20 years. Released after 15 years and subsequently worked in a workshop at the Hlubina Mine.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Václav Šimíček

• Description of activities: Employee of Czechoslovak State Railways (ČSD) in Olomouc. Arrested in 1950 and sentenced to 12 years in high-security prison for alleged treason; subjected to forced labor in the Jáchymov mines. Released in 1960 under an amnesty and subsequently worked as a driver for DPMO.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Council of Ostrava (ZMO), 27 April 1993.

Felix Škarka

• Description of activities: Owner of a roofing company; participant in the Second Resistance. Arrested in 1950 and sentenced to 23 years in prison for alleged treason. Released in 1960 under an amnesty.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Zdeněk Štich

• Description of activities: After February 1948, expelled from the Air Force Academy for political reasons. Co-founder of the resistance group Vlasta I in Ostrava. Arrested in 1948 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Forced to work in the Jáchymov mines; attempted an unsuccessful escape and was brutally beaten and mistreated upon recapture. Released in 1953 to house arrest. Promoted to the rank of Colonel (retired) in 1991.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

Oldřich Váňa

• Description of activities: Merchant in Ostrava-Přívoz. Identified as the leader of the Vlasta I group and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Brutally tortured during detention. Released shortly before the end of his sentence. Subsequently worked as a laborer at the Bohumín Ironworks and later as a miner at the Jeremenko Mine.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.

František Brázdil

• Description of activities: In 1950, sentenced by the State Court in Brno to life imprisonment for alleged treason, fined 20,000 Czechoslovak korunas, had property confiscated, and lost civil rights. Released after 11 years.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993.
• Note: Awarded in memoriam; Fr. Brázdil passed away on 26 September 1988.

Jan Buchal

• Description of activities: In 1949, organized a resistance group composed of members of the SNB (National Security Corps) and the army. Became a victim of a brutal provocation by the Ministry of the Interior and was arrested on 25 October 1949. For the crimes of treason and espionage, he was sentenced to death along with the group of M. Horáková.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.
• Note: Jan Buchal was executed on 27 June 1950.

Josef Hozman

• Description of activities: Lieutenant of the Public Security (Veřejná bezpečnost). Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to 22 years in prison; served six years working in the uranium ore processing facility (“Tower of Death”) in Jáchymov. Released in 1960 under an amnesty. Subsequently worked at the Vítkovice Ironworks as a rebar binder. After 1989, promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Czech Police.
• Reason for award: for participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded By and Date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.
• Note: J. Hozman passed away in 1993.

Adolf Chlebus

• Description of activities: Self-employed (manufacture of mining machines and sale of “aerovkas”). Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to 15 years in prison; released after 10 years. Worked as an auto mechanic and later as manager of a car repair shop at VOKD.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.

Oldřich Justra

• Description of activities: Air Force Lieutenant; during World War II, member of the illegal group “Russian Trio.” Arrested by the Gestapo in 1944. Participated in battles with the American army and, after liberation, became Deputy of the Security Air Force in Prague. Arrested in 1949 in the M. Horáková case and sentenced to life imprisonment. Imprisoned in Ostrava, Leopoldov, and uranium mines in Příbram. Released after 11 years and subsequently worked at Bytostav as a delivery worker and head of warehouse management.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.

Oldřich Korpas

• Description of activities: Employee of the Vítkovice Ironworks. After February 1948, forced to leave his job; found new employment at the Urx factories. First arrested in 1954 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for alleged treason; released in 1960 under an amnesty. Arrested again in 1961, sentenced to 3 years and to serve the remainder of his previous sentence; imprisoned in the uranium mines in Jáchymov and in Valdice. Released a second time in 1968. Later re-employed at the Vítkovice Ironworks, at the DIZ plant.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.
• Note: O. Korpas passed away in 1992.

Otakar Lýčka

• Description of activities: Farmer; graduate of the Agricultural School in Opava; owner of a farm in Ostrava-Hrabová. Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to 24 years in prison; released after 11 years under an amnesty. Subsequently worked as an employee at a machinery and tractor station, later at the spoil heap of the Paskov Mine. In later life, due to a low pension, had to supplement his income as a watchman.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.
• Note: O. Lýčka passed away in 1992.

Vilém Vaclík

• Description of activities: Technical clerk; participated in the resistance during World War II. Arrested in 1949 and sentenced to life imprisonment for alleged treason; released after 12 years. Worked as a laborer at the Vítkovice Ironworks until retirement.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.
• Note: V. Vaclík passed away in 1983.

Miroslav Růžička

• Description of activities: Trained as a precision mechanic; during World War II, subjected to forced labor in Germany and later imprisoned in the Buchenwald concentration camp. Served in the Czechoslovak Army from 1946–1948. Arrested in 1949 and in 1950 sentenced by the State Court in Brno to 16 years in prison. Released from the Jáchymov mines in 1960 under an amnesty. Due to poor health, released from the Hlubina Mine; was not accepted at NHKG for “political unreliability.”
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.
• Note: M. Růžička passed away in 1964 from an embolism.

Gustav Staněk

• Description of activities: Stewards’ clerk; shortly before the end of World War II, joined the resistance. After completing mandatory military service, worked at the uranium mines in Jáchymov. In 1951, sentenced to 14 years in prison for aiding fellow prisoners. Released in 1960, he became a worker at the Salma Mine.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.

Miroslav Sýkora

• Description of activities: Accountant at construction works. Sentenced to death for alleged treason and espionage. The sentence was carried out on 1 August 1951 in Ostrava.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.

Alois Vašíček

• Description of activities: Imprisoned for 4 years in Nazi concentration camps; served as Sokol chairman from 1945–1948, then imprisoned for 12 years in the Jáchymov mines. Released as an incapacitated invalid; died upon returning home from the effects of imprisonment.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.

Jaromír Šavrda

• Description of Activities: Born 25 May 1933 in Ostrava. Studied Czech literature at Charles University in Prague; worked as a librarian, later as a secondary school teacher and writer. Employed at PULS publishing house (head of legal and personnel departments); completed law studies via distance learning (not allowed to graduate). During normalization, forced to perform manual labor; involved in samizdat activities. In 1978, sentenced first to 30 months, then to an additional 25 months in prison. After release, active in Charter 77, participated in hunger strikes for political prisoners, co-founder of the Society of Friends of the USA.
• Reason for award: For significant work in the dissent movement in Ostrava during normalization.
• Awarded by and date: 14th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 27 April 1993, in memoriam.

Major General Josef Buršík

• Description of activities: Officer of the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Tank Brigade in the USSR, recipient of the Order of the White Lion, former Hero of the Soviet Union. After the war, commander of a tank brigade in Ostrava. In 1946, ran for the Social Democratic Party in the National Committee elections; lived permanently in Ostrava. In 1949, arrested by the State Security (StB) and imprisoned at Mírov; after escaping, emigrated to the United Kingdom, where he died in 2002.
• Reason for award: For participation in the liberation battles of Ostrava and postwar political activity for the benefit of the city.
• Awarded by and date: 15th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 30 June 1993, in memoriam.

Jaroslav Pavlán

• Description of activities: Participant in the anti-fascist resistance during the occupation. Vice-Chairman of the National Committee in Ostrava from 1945 to 1948. Arrested in 1954 and sentenced for alleged treason to 23 years in prison; released after more than 8 years (May 1968) under an amnesty.
• Reason for award: For his work and contributions to the development of the city of Ostrava and for participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 15th session of the City Assembly of Ostrava, 30 June 1993.
• Note: The award was given in memoriam; J. Pavlán died on 10 February 1985. 

Chanan Rozen

• Description of activities: Consul General of the Czech Republic in Israel, President of the Israeli Society of Friends of the Czech Republic. Born 24 September 1918 in Slezská Ostrava, trained at the Vítkovice Ironworks, left the country in 1938. Died 18 February 2013.
• Reason for award: For lifelong contributions to the city of Ostrava and the Czech Republic.
• Awarded by and date: 23rd session of the Ostrava City Assmebly, 2 November 1994.
• Note: The award was given in memoriam.  

Ladislav Cée

• Description of activities: Born 27 February 1910 in Železný Brod. Lived in Ostrava-Hrušov; prior to his arrest in 1949, he served in the National Security Corps. For alleged preparations for a coup d’état, he was sentenced to death in 1950; executed on 1 August 1951 along with M. Sýkora, M. Morávek, and J. Polomský in the courtyard of the Regional Prison in Ostrava.
• Reason for award: For participation in the anti-communist resistance.
• Awarded by and date: 17th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 18 June 1997.
• Note: The award was given in memoriam.

Ilja Hurník

• Description of activities: Born 25 November 1922 in Poruba (now a district of Ostrava). Music composer, pianist, and writer; his work often reflects his native region. He passed away on 7 September 2013 in Prague.
• Reason for award: For his lifetime work.
• Awarded by and date: 17th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 18 June 1997.
• Note: The award was givein in memoriam.

Ivan Lendl

• Description of activities: Born 7 March 1960 in Ostrava. World-class tennis player; won his first Czechoslovak singles championship title on the courts in Komenský Sady, Ostrava. Due to disagreements with the communist authorities, he settled in the USA; held a record 157 weeks as world No. 1 in the ATP rankings.
• Reason for award: One of the most famous natives of Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: 17th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 18 June 1997.

Andrzej Kaczorowski

• Description of activities: Born 30 June 1953 (Parzniewice). Diplomat since 1984 (Bonn); subsequently for six years headed the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Munich. Since August 2002, Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Ostrava.
• Reason for award: For contributions to the development of economic, cultural, sports, and other relations between Polish and Czech partners.
• Awarded by and date: 18th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 30 June 2004.

Colonel Robert Matula

• Description of activities: Born on 16 January 1919 in Radvanice (a district of Ostrava). Fought in France and Great Britain; member of the Wolfram parachute group (1944). After 1948, emigrated to Canada, maintained contact with his homeland; contributed to the monument for Czechoslovak paratroopers of World War II in Prague. Died on 12 June 2012.
• Reason for award: For merits in the fight against fascism.
• Awarded by and date: 37th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 26 April 2006.

General Zdeněk Škarvada

• Description of activities: Born on 8 November 1917 in Olešnice near Blansko. Former RAF fighter pilot; during World War II, he distinguished himself exceptionally in saving human lives. Recipient of numerous domestic and foreign awards; promoted to the rank of general in 2000. Politically persecuted after the war, worked, among other jobs, in mines. Died on 11 May 2013.
• Reason for award: For extraordinary deeds and saving human lives.
• Awarded by and date: 11th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 24 October 2007.

Ivo Stolařík

• Description of activities: Ethnographer, folklorist, and musicologist (born 1923). Collaborated with cimbalom ensembles such as Vsacan and Malá muzika of Czechoslovak Radio in Ostrava. In 1949, he helped launch the career of Jarmila Šuláková. Founded the first children’s radio choir in Ostrava (conducted it until 1955). Worked with the Janáček Philharmonic and at the Faculty of Education (honorary doctorate). Author of the memoirs Life Is Not a Phrase. Died on 11 January 2010.
• Reason for award: For a lifelong meritorious contribution to the development of culture.
• Awarded by and date: 22nd session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 26 November 2008.

Colonel Mikuláš Končický

• Description of activities: War veteran, retired colonel (born 1925), originally from the Volhynian Czech community in Poland. From 1944, served in the 1st Czechoslovak Tank Brigade; participated in the battles at Dukla, the Ostrava–Opava operation, and the final liberation in Prague. After August 1968, dismissed from the army for political reasons. Chairman of the Municipal Committee of the Czechoslovak Union of Fighters and the Czechoslovak Legionnaires’ Community in Ostrava, recipient of numerous honors. Died on 13 December 2015.
• Reason for award: For active participation in the liberation of our country and the city of Ostrava during World War II.
• Awarded by and date: 22nd session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 26 November 2008.

Colonel Jindřich Heřkovič

• Description of activities: War veteran, retired colonel (born 1923), native of Subcarpathian Ruthenia. From 1943, served as a submachine-gunner in the 1st Czechoslovak Tank Brigade in the USSR; fought in the Dukla Pass and the Ostrava–Opava operation (severely wounded). After the war, studied law at Charles University. In 1953, sent to the Hlubina Mine in Ostrava for political reasons. Recipient of the Czechoslovak War Cross and other honors. Died on 9 March 2012.
• Reason for award: For active participation in the liberation of our country and the city of Ostrava during World War II.
• Awarded by and date: 22nd session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 26 November 2008.
  

Colonel Vladimír Palička

• Description of activities: War veteran, retired colonel (born 1923), from a family of Volhynian Czechs. Fought in D. M. Medvedev’s partisan brigade; from 1944, served in the 1st Czechoslovak Tank Brigade (wounded at Dukla; wounded again in the Ostrava–Opava operation). Author of the book Nezaváto větrem. Died on 14 December 2012.
• Reason for award: For active participation in the liberation of our country and the city of Ostrava during World War II.
• Awarded by and date: 22nd session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 26 November 2008.
  

Colonel Jan Pavlíček

• Description of Activities: War veteran, retired colonel (born 1917), native of Palkovice. In 1939 fled to Lebanon; in 1940 fought in France; later a paratrooper in England; in June 1944 parachuted behind enemy lines, fought in France and Belgium. After the war, worked as a survey engineer in OKD. Recipient of numerous Czechoslovak decorations. Died on 12 June 2010.
• Reason for award: For active participation in the liberation of our country and the city of Ostrava during World War II.
• Awarded By and Date: 22nd session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 26 November 2008.

Oldřich Šuleř

• Description of activities: JUDr. Oldřich Šuleř (1924), writer, publicist, and editor. Worked at the Hubert coal mine in Hrušov; after the war studied law, later worked as a librarian, in radio, and for the magazine Červený květ; chairman of the Writers’ Association in Ostrava. Author of over 40 books (e.g., Letopisy v žule, Na srnčích nohách, Bílý kůň ve znaku, etc.). Died on 26 January 2015.
• Reason for award: For outstanding contributions to the city of Ostrava in artistic, journalistic, and editorial work.
• Awarded by and date: 29th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 24 June 2009.

Jiří Kandus

• Description of activities: Associate Professor MUDr. Jiří Kandus, CSc. (1930), physician and scientist; external lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, emeritus president of the J. E. Purkyně Medical Society, court expert. Research focused on pneumoconiosis, silicosis, and chronic bronchitis in industrial populations. Active popularizer of medical knowledge; author of numerous publications, including works on smoking. Died on 11 February 2018.
• Reason for award: For outstanding scientific contributions related to the city of Ostrava (on the occasion of his 80th birthday).
• Awarded by and date: 40th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 30 June 2010.

Jaroslav Šimíček

• Description of activities: Associate Professor MUDr. Jaroslav Šimíček, CSc. (1931–2017), cardiologist, educator, and scientist. He established the first spiroergometric laboratory in the Czech Republic (Ostrava, 1960s) and was a pioneer in pacemaker implantation (1968). First dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Studies at Ostrava University (now Faculty of Medicine). Member of numerous professional societies with an extensive publication record.
• Reason for award: special recognition for lifelong outstanding achievements and contributions to the city of Ostrava and its development (on the occasion of his 80th birthday).
• Awarded by and date: 12th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 2 November 2011.

Tomáš Čermák

• Description of activities: Prof. Ing. Tomáš Čermák, CSc. (born 1943), the first post-1989 rector of VŠB–Technical University of Ostrava (served 14 years). He contributed to the transformation of the university, the establishment of new study programs, research centers, and international collaborations. Expert in high-voltage electrical engineering; author of textbooks, publications, and patents; director of the ENET Center.
• Reason for award: For extraordinary contributions and achievements in scientific work related to the city of Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: 12th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 2 November 2011.

Stanislav Kolíbal

• Description of activities: Academic sculptor and visual artist, a prominent figure of Czech conceptual art. Notable works include the relief wall at the Czechoslovak Embassy in London and the Pankrác Forefront of the Nusle Bridge. Recipient of the Medal of Merit (2005).
• Reason for award: A special expression of respect and recognition for significant artistic achievements in both domestic and international contexts.
• Awarded by and date: 34th session of the Ostrava City Assembly on 10 September 2014.

Brigadier General Bedřich Opočenský

• Description of activities: (*1924, Český Boratín, Volhynia; † 29 October 2016). Participated in the resistance during the occupation of Volhynia; from 1944 served in the Czechoslovak Army Corps in the USSR as a tank crewman. Fought at Dukla and near Jasło; during the liberation of Ostrava, covered the advance of tank no. 051 to the Miloš Sýkora Bridge. After military service, managed a farm; following nationalization, worked in a cooperative farm (JZD) and in the textile industry.
• Reason for award: Special expression of respect and recognition for extraordinary heroism and merits during World War II and the liberation of Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: 5th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 29 April 2015.
  

Colonel Karel Šerák

• Description of activities: Born 20 July 1923 in Český Boratín, Volhynia; †17 July 2016. Member of the 1st Czechoslovak Independent Tank Brigade (Dukla, Jasło); in April 1945, served as a tank commander during the Ostrava–Opava Operation. After the war, lived in Chotiněves (Litoměřice region), later worked in a cooperative farm (JZD) as a zootechnician.
• Reason for award: Special expression of respect and recognition for extraordinary heroism and merits during World War II and the liberation of Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: 5th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 29 April 2015.

Rajko Doleček

• Description of activities: Prof. MUDr. Rajko Doleček, DrSc. (1925–2017), endocrinologist and dietologist. Spent his youth in Belgrade; during World War II, fought for the freedom of Yugoslavia. From 1950, lived in Ostrava. Promoter of a healthy lifestyle (TV programs Dangerous World of Calories, Mysterious World of Hormones, Give Life to Your Years), author of both professional and popular books; internist-endocrinologist at the University Hospital Ostrava.
• Reason for award: For lifelong work and significant contributions to the city of Ostrava.
• Awarded by and date: 17th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 25 May 2016.

Luděk Eliáš

• Description of activities: Theatre and film actor, television host, and publicist. Began his career in the Theresienstadt ghetto; survived Auschwitz, Birkenau, Sachsenhausen, and a death march. From 1956, he worked at the Petr Bezruč Theatre (director from 1961). Active in TV and radio; in August 1968, helped with free broadcasting. Member of the Czechoslovak Association of Legionaries (ČSBS); recipient of the Jaroslav Šavrda Award and Paul Harris Fellow. Died 10 July 2018.
• Reason for award: For extraordinary artistic contribution to the culture of the city of Ostrava, personal courage, and merits in educating the younger generation about wartime history.
• Awarded by and date: 31st session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 13 December 2017.

Věroslav Dušek

• Description of activities: Surgeon, Sokol member, fighter for freedom and democracy. Engaged in resistance activities within Sokol; imprisoned in Dachau and other Nazi concentration camps for 5 years. Active during the Prague Spring in 1968; after the restoration of the Moravian-Silesian Sokol region, he served as its first chairman until 1997. Died 29 July 2020.
• Reason for award: For personal heroism in the fight for democracy and freedom
• Awarded by and date: 31st session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 13 December 2017.

Ivan Binar

• Description of activities: Journalist, educator, writer, and translator. Editor of magazines (Mladý svět, Tramp). From 1965, a prominent figure in the Divadélko pod okapem (later Waterloo) theater. In 1971, convicted for “incitement.” From 1973, worked as a writer while also holding manual jobs. After emigrating to Austria, worked in Munich at Radio Free Europe. Returned to Prague in 1994.
• Reason for award: Artistic contribution to culture in relation to the city of Ostrava; merits for freedom and democracy.
• Awarded by and date: 36th session of the Ostrava City Assembly, 14 September 2022.