The Černá louka Exhibition Centre was founded on the site of a former dumping ground for coal mining waste. Perhaps surprisingly, the name of the site, which translates as ‘black meadow’, did not originally have any connection with the mining industry. It dates back to the turn of the 19th century, when Ostrava was an important centre of the livestock trade. The meadow, under the city walls, was used for enclosures and pig-sties, turning it into a muddy black morass – hence the name ‘black meadow’.
Today, the Exhibition Centre serves as a venue for conferences, congresses, trade fairs, as well as various social and cultural events. The main building on the site is Pavilion A, combining the original structure from 1960 with a modern multipurpose hall and underground parking facilities. The Exhibition Centre is ringed by parkland, offering a popular place for relaxation and recreation. The park is dotted with erratic boulders, interesting geological features left behind by the retreating Scandinavian ice sheet at the end of the last Ice Age.