Skip to navigation Skip to content
EXPO_COVER_HR

Expo OSAKA 2025 September 11-12
City of Ostrava
The Czech Pavilion 
Showcase the city on an international stage! Find out about our culture and business opportunities. Why Ostrava is ambitious and unique city.
Join us and connect with global partners, investors, and innovators.


Thursday, 11 September 2025 | Auditorium | Daisue Hall

15:00 – 15:30

  • Presentation Opening: Mr. Jan Dohnal, Mayor of Ostrava, Mr. Ondřej Soška, Commissioner General of the Czech Republic, EXPO 2025 in Osaka
  • Premiere of the puppet video
  • CzechTrade, Mr. Richard Schneider, Director of Osaka Office – „Why Ostrava“ context of Ostrava within Central Europe

15:30 – 17:00 – Business Presentations

  • City of Ostrava, Mrs. Lucie Baránková Vilamová, Deputy Mayor: „ Where New Business Stories Begin – Explore Investment and Partnership.“

    private sector – a case study of the
  • CTP, Mrs. Petra Pivovarová, CTP Head of Community Management in the Czech Republic: “Two decades of cooperation between CTP and Ostrava. Building CTP’s portfolio of community projects in the Ostrava region.”
  • Purposia, Mr. Jan Hasík, Chairman of the Board of Directors of PURPOSIA Group: “City shaping and development for residents across all demographics, from students to seniors, and building civic infrastructure”
  • Live puppet performance

17:15 – 18:00

18:30 – 19:00

  • Pavilion tour for the guests

19:00 – 21:00

  • informal gathering with the Mayor on the terrace for invited guests

Friday, 12 September 2025 | Auditorium | Daisue Hall

10:15 – 10:45

11:00 – 11:30

11:30 – 12:30

  • Sports in Ostrava: presented by Mayor Mr. Jan Dohnal
  • Czech–Japanese Center: Presented by Mr. Jan Kudla
  • Aikido demonstration by Kokoro Ostrava Club

12:30 – 13:00

Live puppet performance – Ostrava to Osaka
A small stage performance will directly follow on from a short film adventure in which three puppet characters travel through contemporary Ostrava from the Puppet Theatre to the airport to catch up with a friend who was accidentally carried away by a bunch of helium balloons.
In it, we will present the city of Ostrava from another perspective. We will go against the flow of time by looking at how coal was formed under the Ostrava landscape. We will recall its mining era and look into the industrial past of the city. With the help of puppets, old photographs and music, we will watch Ostrava being transformed: from a city of mines and steelworks to a modern, green and dynamic place that thrives with culture.
The connection of the film story with a historical excursion will give Expo visitors a unique view of Ostrava.
Story, direction: Jakub Maksymov et al.
Cast: Lucie Kraftová, Karel Růžička
Scenography: Marie Bernardová
Puppets: DLO studio
Music: Marian Mazur

Lucie Baránková Vilamová

Deputy Mayor for strategic development and culture of Ostrava City. She is a graduate of VŠB-TU Ostrava and in her professional practice, she has been involved in project management, trade, and marketing. She has also lectured on marketing and trade at universities and supervised diploma theses. “It is pointless to ask whether life has meaning or not. It has as much meaning as we give it,” with this motto, she entered the prestigious competition of the Czech Management Association, where she competed not only for the title of Manager of the Year 2021, but also for the highest position in her competition category “Public Administration.”

Jan Dohnal

was elected as Ostrava’s Mayor at a City Assembly session on 26 April 2023. He graduated from the University of Ostrava with a degree in Demography and Social Geography/Regional Development. Before entering active politics, he was in the real estate business; from 2008 he was the co-owner and managing director of a real estate company. Jan Dohnal has been a member of the Ostrava-Jih Municipal District Assembly since 2002. He has been the Mayor of Ostrava since April 2023.

Petra Pivovarova 

is a highly experienced real estate development professional with over two decades of expertise across key areas of the industry, including permitting, land acquisition, property management, leasing, business development and community management. Since 2005 she has been working at CTP, a leading full-service industrial and logistics developer in Central and Eastern Europe, known for its focus on sustainability, long-term partnerships, and high-quality business parks.

Jan Kudla

From an early childhood, he has devoted himself to the study of Japanese martial arts — Karate and Aikido. That was when he first encountered Japanese culture. For more than twelve years, he has actively collaborated with Japan and helped strengthen Czech-Japanese relations. In 2024, he was awarded the Commendation of the Ambassador of Japan to the Czech Republic for his work. He has been leading the Czech-Japanese Cultural Centre for ten years and organizes the Japanese Days festival in Ostrava. As a member of several diplomatic missions to Japan, he has taken part in many negotiations aimed at expanding cooperation with the Land of the Rising Sun.

Rastislav Maďar

Physician, lecturer, associate professor, humanitarian doctor and philantropist. As a physician, he has taken a leading active and organisational role in more than 10 humanitarian missions to poor developing countries including those affected by Tsunami and some of the poorest African countries. Co-founder of the Free International Humanity Clinic in Nepal and leader of development projects in Malawi. As a keen traveller, he has visited more than 80 countries and written more than 10 travel articles published in prestigious travel journals globally including Vietnam, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Jordan, Cyprus, Finland, Estonia, Guadelope, Martinique, Dominican Republic and St. Lucia.

Richard Schneider


The foreign office for Japan is a shared representation of the CzechTrade and CzechInvest agencies. CzechTrade is a Government trade promotion agency of the Czech Republic. Its main objective is to develop international trade and cooperation between Czech and foreign entities. Wherever in the world you are, the agency is your official contact partner when looking for qualified Czech-based manufacturers and services providers.

Vojtěch Peřka


is an experienced professional with over 10 years of experience in the real estate and regional development sectors. Currently, he has been working for 7 years at CTP, a leading developer in the industrial and logistics real estate market, where he serves as Senior Business Developer. In this role, he manages business activities, maintains client relationships, and explores new land opportunities within the Moravian-Silesian and Olomouc regions.
Born and raised in Havirov, he knows the region intimately and takes pride in contributing to its development. His previous experience includes working at CzechInvest, where he was responsible for attracting foreign investors to the region. He holds a degree in Geography and Regional Development from the University of Ostrava.
Known for keeping his promises and delivering results, he values teamwork and believes that success is a collective achievement. His dedication and local expertise make him a valuable asset in fostering regional growth and business development.

Jan Hasík

is the founder and CEO of HSF System, a prominent construction company operating in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and newly in Austria. Under his leadership, the company specializes in general contracting and the cladding of roofs and façades for modern office, commercial, and industrial buildings.
After graduating from the Faculty of Civil Engineering at CTU in Prague, he gained valuable management experience at OVAK, Bilfinger-Berger, and NRC, which he later leveraged to build his own business empire. He is also the founder and Chairman of the Board of PURPOSIA Group, an investment holding comprising 43 companies. The group is strongly committed to social responsibility, annually investing over 10% of its profits in culture, sports, and civic development.
Jan Hasík has long served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Ostrava. His contributions have been recognized by the professional community—he was a finalist in the EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2024 competition and twice received the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Moravian-Silesian Region (2016, 2023).

Alena Punčochářová

is a theatre manager who has worked extensively with a number of cultural institutions and festivals. She worked as a producer at the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre, where she participated in several dance productions – including the unique project Padající andělé (Falling Angels), which was performed in cooperation with Heřmanice Prison and involved prisoners. For the NMST, she also organized the open-air events Jdeme za vámy (We’re Coming for You) and the Ostrava in Prague Theatre Festival. Since 2014, she has worked at the Petr Bezruč Theatre, first as the artistic director and later as the operations director. During this time, she oversaw more than 40 productions. Her collaboration resulted in the project Stará láska nerezáví (Old Love Never Gets Old) performed during the Covid-19 pandemic. This powerful documentary mapping the lives of seniors left a deep impression in the online space. Her other collaborations include the Dream Factory Ostrava Festival, where she undertook site-specific projects, the Gallery of Fine Arts in Ostrava, and the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra Ostrava.

Jiří Šimon

is the Director of the OSTRAVAINFO!!! Tourist Information Centres and the destination management organization VISITOSTRAVA!!!, operating under the city-owned company Černá louka s.r.o. He graduated from the University of Ostrava with a degree in Polish Philology. Throughout his career, he has worked as an information centre officer, a teacher of the Polish language, and a tourist guide. His professional path combines a strong background in languages and tourism with a passion for promoting Ostrava as a dynamic destination.

Ondřej Satoria

is a Czech baseball pitcher for Arrows Ostrava of the Czech Baseball Extraliga. He represents the Czech Republic national team in international competition. Satoria played with Arrows Ostrava in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. At the 2023 European Champions Cup, he pitched nine scoreless innings over two games.
Satoria was recognized as the 2023 Sportsman of the Year by the city of Ostrava.
Nevertheless, he made international headlines when he struck out three Samurai Japan players: Lars Nootbaar, Kensuke Kondoh, and Shohei Ohtani. The strikeout of Ohtani, considered one of the best players in the world, by a part-time electrician was described by The Japan Times as “one shining moment” where “David toppled Goliath.”
In the Czech Republic, there is no such thing as a “professional baseball player”. All baseball players have regular jobs and play baseball on the side. Ondřej works for the Czech energy company ČEZ and is an excellent baseball player.

Šárka Vilamová

is an established professional economist whose expertise spans strategic management, corporate governance, and the circular economy. She currently serves as an Associate Professor at VSB – Technical University of Ostrava, where she shares her extensive industry experience with students at the Department of Industrial Systems Management, Faculty of Materials Science and Technology.
She actively applies her theoretical knowledge in practice, contributing to key decision-making processes in the city of Ostrava as a member of expert committees and, most notably, as Deputy Governor of the Moravian-Silesian Region. Her focus lies in strategic development and managing transformative changes in industry.

She emphasizes the need to halt the outflow of young, talented individuals from the region, attract new investors, support existing entrepreneurs, and strengthen cross-sector cooperation. She firmly believes that the top priority is to support education, science, research, and innovation—all based on the principles of the circular economy—to achieve sustainable regional development.

The Ostrava Puppet Theatre
The Ostrava Puppet Theatre is a professional theatre for children and youth with a history dating back to 1953. The DLO repertoire includes productions for all age groups – from toddlers, through preschool audiences and schoolchildren, to teenagers and adults. The ensemble plays more than 500 performances for schools and the public every year. Also unique are the artistic and educational programs (art workshops, theatre workshops, interactive workshops and seminars), which are organized by the Lecturer Office at the theatre. The theatre is the organizer of the international puppet festival Spectaculo Interesse, which brings the best of world puppet theatre to Ostrava every two years. Every summer, the cultural and community program in Ostrava is enriched by the theatre show Pimprléto. Actors, lecturers and other employees have participated in notable foreign internships and festivals in recent years (Poland, Belgium, Istanbul, Japan, Slovenia, Serbia, …). The founder of the Ostrava Puppet Theatre is the statutory city of Ostrava.

What next: SPECTACULO INTERESSE 2025
The 15th edition of the festival will take place on October 2-6, 2025
spectaculo.cz




VISITOSTRAVA!!!
VISITOSTRAVA!!! is the certified Destination Management Organisation (DMO) for the Ostrava region, operating under the municipal company Černá louka s.r.o. Its mission is to connect local partners, develop unique visitor experiences, and promote Ostrava as a dynamic destination for culture, industry, and events – both in the Czech Republic and abroad.
visitostrava.eu


The Czech-Japanese Cultural Centre
The Czech-Japanese Cultural Centre was established in July 2016 with the support of the Embassy of Japan in the Czech Republic, the Moravian-Silesian Region, and several dozen experts on Japanese culture. The main goal of the centre is to provide the general public with accurate information about Japanese culture and Japan, to bring together groups of people interested in this culture, to organize cultural events with a Japanese theme, as well as educational workshops, seminars, and courses for the public, demonstrations of Japanese martial arts, and much more.
The centre cooperates with a number of universities and secondary schools, educational institutions, cultural facilities, and private companies — as well as with municipal organizations, the statutory city of Ostrava, and the Moravian-Silesian Region. Together, they deepen Czech-Japanese cultural and diplomatic relations, help establish business ties, and expand joint projects.

What next – JAPANESE DAYS CULTURE FESTIVAL
A weekend full of Japan: October 17 – 18, 2025
japonskedny.cz





Partner CTP
CTP will present its position as Europe’s leading industrial and logistics developer, built on long-term vision, sustainability, and strong partnerships. In Ostrava, we have established a significant presence through several fully operational industrial parks, an office building in the city centre, and ongoing brownfield redevelopments. Our future plans include new industrial zones and multifunctional projects, among them a landmark building in the city’s technology park. The presentation will highlight our contribution to urban regeneration, sustainable growth, and collaboration with the municipality and universities to drive innovation and attract talent to the region.
ctp.eu


PURPOSIA Group
Purposia Group s one of the leading European investment groups with Czech roots. It was established in 2023 as a holding structure built around its construction companies HSF System in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, along with other companies primarily from the construction sector. The history of the companies forming the PURPOSIA Group dates back to 2002, when their main specialization was complete roof and façade cladding. Over time, their activities expanded to include general construction contracting.
Today, the Group is involved in the entire life cycle of construction projects – from design and development, through the construction itself, to property management. The holding currently comprises a total of 43 companies with annual revenues reaching CZK 4 billion. In addition to the aforementioned HSF System group in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and newly also in Austria, the subsidiaries include companies from the ANTRACIT development group, as well as SK Facility, Pruniwerk, floorING, PREFA ONV, Bezecný, and Foredeck. PURPOSIA Group operates in a total of 10 European countries.
purposia.eu



VSB – Technical University of Ostrava
VSB-TUO belongs to the leading technical universities in the Czech Republic, offering high-quality, interdisciplinary education to over 13, 000 students across seven faculties. The university offers more than 200 study programs in fields that are consistently in high demand in the job market, including computer science, energy engineering, mechanical and electrical engineering, civil engineering, and material sciences, among others.
The Faculty of Materials Science and Technology perfectly symbolizes Ostrava’s journey from a traditional industrial hub to a leader in sustainable technologies. In short, it connects:
– Industrial Heritage: by leveraging decades of experience in materials and technology.
– Modern Research: by applying cutting-edge science to environmental challenges.
– A Sustainable Future: by creating circular solutions for the climate transformation.
vsb.cz



University of Ostrava
The University of Ostrava (UO) is a public research university educating nearly 9,000 students in six faculties.  As a dynamic and intellectually challenging modern institution the University of Ostrava provides an international environment in which to study. Our campus is spread primarily throughout the old city centre providing a stimulating environment to contemplate the living arts and sciences. Teaching at UO is research-driven, and its programmes are often taught by active researchers.
The initial history of the Faculty of Medicine dates back to 1993.The successful accreditation of the General Medicine study program in April 2010 marks the beginning of a new era of development for the faculty. Since 2008, the Faculty of Medicine at OU has been cooperating with the University of L.U.de. S. Lugano-Pazzallo in Switzerland as part of the Double Diploma project, when the faculty obtained accreditation for the study program Physiotherapy in English, and since the 2011/2012 academic year, after obtaining accreditation for the study program Physiotherapy in Italian with classes held in Switzerland, cooperation with L.U.de. S. Lugano-Pazzallo has deepened. This cooperation was suspended in 2014, when cooperation was localized only in Chiasso, where it continues to this day. Since 2019, LF OU has also been cooperating in Italy, in Rome, where a bachelor’s degree program in Physiotherapy in Italian is also accredited.
lf.osu.eu

PR contact: Adéla Koudelová
+420 725 870 577
adela.koudelova@ostrava.cz