This study is based on the manuscript of the doctoral dissertation “Hydronymy of the Ostravice River Basin”, which takes as its thematic and methodological starting-point a project by Slovak linguists entitled “Hydronymia Slovaciae”; this project aims to produce a complete description of Slovak hydronymy applying consistent methodology, and it forms part of the European “Hydronymia Europaea” project. Although Czech toponomastics has not yet officially joined this project (or declared an intention to join it), research in Czech hydronymy and hydronomastics nevertheless has a long tradition. This study offers a critical commented overview of Czech hydronomastic literature from the earliest attempts (naive texts or folk etymologies), through 19th-century studies, to more recent research which seeks to understand hydronyms in their broader context, especially in terms of their communicative functions. The study also mentions important (mainly historical) cartographic sources recording Czech hydronyms. One of the appendices to the above-mentioned dissertation is a complete bibliography of studies, articles, Master’s theses and other publications that are in some way relevant to Czech hydronymy.

The paper gives an evidence that construction of contemporary objects at the interface with the historic urban space, may be a way to renew and revitalize areas which require it. Such action may be a strong and valuable catalyst for the functional and visual transformation of a given fragment of urban space. It can also contribute to the increase of social activity within it. Research shows that public facilities from the turn of the 20th and 21st century, which were built using innovative architectural technologies and constructional solutions, are the buildings which provide great opportunities to contrast with historical architecture. This can be achieved due to their significant scale and rank in the urban space. The analyzes show that design based on the principle of contrast is the right solution for the degraded historic urban space. The replenishment of the old tissue should be carried out with the emphasis on the identity of the times in which we live, without creating architecture which could literally imitate historical objects or compete with them. Because of this contrast and diversity, new fragments of the city can become a counterweight or a valuable background to the existing historical tissue. Contemporary buildings located in a historical context are not only enhancing the values of cultural heritage but can also become a grateful element of the urban space and a strong accent of modernity and innovation in the city.