Ostrava(Czech:[ˈostrava]ⓘ;Polish:Ostrawa,German:Ostrau) is a city in the north-east of theCzech Republicand the capital of theMoravian-Silesian Region.It has about 280,000 inhabitants. It lies 15 km (9 mi) from the border withPoland,at the confluences of four rivers:Oder,Opava,OstraviceandLučina.Ostrava is the third largest city in the Czech Republic in terms of both population and area, the second largest city in the region ofMoravia,and the largest city in the historical land ofCzech Silesia.It straddles the border of the two historic provinces of Moravia and Silesia. The widerconurbation– which also includes the towns ofBohumín,Havířov,Karviná,Orlová,PetřvaldandRychvald– is home to about 500,000 people,[2]making it the largest urban area in the Czech Republic apart from the capitalPrague.
Ostrava grew in importance due to its position at the heart of a majorcoalfield,becoming an important industrial engine of the Austrian empire. During the 20th century it was known as the "steel heart" of Czechoslovakia thanks to its status as acoal-miningandmetallurgicalcentre, but since theVelvet Revolution(the fall of communism in 1989) it has undergone radical and far-reaching changes to its economic base. Industries have been thoroughly restructured, and the lastcoalwas mined in the city in 1994. However, remnants of the city's industrial past are visible in theLower Vítkovicearea, a former coal-mining,cokeproduction andironworkscomplex in the city centre which retains its historic industrial architecture. Lower Vítkovice has applied for inclusion in theUNESCO World Heritage List.
Ostrava is home to various cultural facilities including theatres and galleries. Various cultural and sporting events take place in Ostrava throughout the year, including theColours of Ostravamusic festival, theJanáček Mayclassical music festival, the Summer Shakespeare Festival andNATO Days.Ostrava is home to two public universities: theTechnical University of Ostravaand theUniversity of Ostrava.In 2014 Ostrava was a European City of Sport. The city co-hosted (with Prague) theIce Hockey World Championshipsin2004,2015,and2024.
Self-governing districts of OstravaAdministrative parts of Ostrava
On 14 September 1990, Ostrava's City Authority approved the division of the city into 22 boroughs, effective 24 November that year. On 1 January 1994, Plesná separated from Poruba and became a separate borough.[4]Since then, the city has been divided into 23 boroughs,[5]further divided into 37 administrative parts:[6]
The city's coat of arms features a blue shield with a rearing silver horse standing on a green lawn. The horse wears a golden saddle and a red coverlet. At the top right of the shield there is a golden rose with green leaves and a red core. The horse in the coat-of-arms wears no bridle. The oldest known depiction of this coat-of-arms is on a seal dating from 1426. The first coloured version dates from 1728. The horse is often interpreted as a symbol of Ostrava's position on a major trade route, or as a figure taken from the coat-of-arms of Ostrava's firstvogt(reeve), while the golden rose probably comes from the family coat-of-arms of the bishop of OlomoucStanislav I Thurzo.This explanation is supported by most modern literature.[7]
Another theory suggests that the Bishop granted Ostrava the right to use the horse in its coat-of-arms out of gratitude for the assistance that the town provided to the people of the Bishop's estate inHukvaldywhen the estate was being looted and pillaged. Apparently the help came so quickly that the pillagers did not have time to attach bridles to their horses before making their escape. There is also a legend which tells of a siege of Ostrava during which the besieged townspeople released unbridled horses to run in circles around the town. This is said to have confused the attacking armies so much that they fled.[7]
In 2008, Ostrava's new marketing logo was unveiled. Designed by Studio Najbrt, the logo "OSTRAVA!!!" is used in public presentations of the city both in the Czech Republic and abroad. The three exclamation marks are meant to symbolise the dynamism, energy and self-confidence of Ostrava and its people.[8]The light blue colour of the city's name is based on the heraldic tradition, while the exclamation marks are a contrasting darker blue.
The Church of St. Wenceslaus, one of the oldest and most important monuments of Ostrava
The first written mention ofSlezská Ostrava(Silesian Ostrava) dates from 1229, when it was described as a settlement. The first mention of Moravian Ostrava (Moravská Ostrava) in 1267 describes it as a township. Ostrava grew on the banks of the Ostrá River (now theOstravice) from which it took its name. The river still divides the city into two main parts: Moravian Ostrava (Moravská Ostrava) and Silesian Ostrava (Slezská Ostrava). The settlement occupied a strategic position on the border between the two historic provinces ofMoraviaandSilesiaand on the ancienttrade routefrom theBaltic Seato theAdriatic Seaknown as theAmber Road.Its location helped the town to grow and flourish.
However, Ostrava began to decline in importance after theThirty Years' War,and it was occupied byDanishforces in 1626,[9]and bySwedishforces from 1642 to 1650.[10]
Marian Column (1702) at Masaryk Square
A turning point in Ostrava's history came in 1763 with the discovery of extensive deposits of high-qualitybituminous coalon the Silesian bank of the Ostravice River. In 1828, the owner of the local estates, Rudolf Jan, thearchbishop of Olomouc,established anironworks,which was named after him as the Rudolfshütte. Later, the ironworks passed into the ownership of theRothschild familyand became known as theVítkovice Ironworks.The company became the driving force behind Ostrava's industrial boom. By the second half of the 20th century, the city was nicknamed the country's "steel heart".
The Sophienhütte ironworks, c. 1910
In 1931 the Jewish community in Ostrava numbered 6,865 (5.4% of the population).[11]About 8,000 Jews from the Ostrava district were murdered in theHolocaustduring theGerman occupationinWorld War II.[12]TheNisko Planincluded the first deportation train transports of 1,301 Jews from Ostrava on 17 and 26 October 1939.[13]In 1994, a Holocaust memorial to the Jewish victims of Ostrava was built in Milada Horáková Park.[14][15]
During World War II the city wasoccupied by Germany.The occupiers operated aGestapoprison in the city,[16]and severalforced labourcamps, including three labour "education" camps, located in Moravská Ostrava,[17]Vítkovice,[18]andKunčice,[19]and the E21 subcamp of theStalag VIII-B/344prisoner-of-war campin the present-day district of Petřkovice.[20]
After the war, the city's German-speaking populationwere expelledin accordance with thePotsdam Agreement.231 German-speaking citizens were killed in a massacre at an internment camp, known as theHanke Lager Massacres.[21]The liberation of Ostrava by theRed Armyled to the city entering its greatest period of expansion. Initially, the new housing projects were on a relatively-small scale focusing on thePorubadistrict and featuring architecture in theSocialist realismstyle. Later, however, the authorities built larger-scale developments of prefabricated apartment blocks in Poruba and created a series of satellite estates to the south of the city (Ostrava-Jih). The city centre was gradually depopulated, and its people were moved out to the suburbs, as part of a long-term plan to destroy the city centre entirely and to turn the land over to coal-mining.
Miloš Sýkora Bridge over the Ostravice River and Silesian Ostrava Town Hall
The 1990s brought a rapid decline in the city's traditional industrial sectors: iron, steel, chemicals and coal-mining. The last coal was mined on 30 June 1994, which was accompanied by major investments to rectify ecological damage done by decades of heavy industry. The projects ultimately brought major improvements in the city's environment and quality of life. Ostrava became an important tourist centre that offered easy access to the nearbyHrubý JeseníkandMoravian-Silesian Beskidsmountains.
As well as hundreds of hectares of recultivated former mining land, the city also has numerous natural landscape features of interest, many of which are protected nature reserves. They include the Polanský Forest and the Polanská Meadows, both of which form part of the Poodří (OderBasin) nature reserve.
A rare geological feature found in the city is the graniteerratic boulders.Originally from Scandinavia, they were left behind after thelast ice age,when theice sheetsretreated. Another feature is the Emaslag heap,an artificial hill made of mining waste (slag) that offers panoramic views. The waste is still burning deep beneath the surface, which gives the slag-heap its ownmicroclimate.
Ostrava is located about 270 kilometres (170 mi) east ofPrague.It lies mostly in theOstrava Basinlowland, only the southwestern part of the municipal territory extends into theMoravian Gate.Ostrava is mostly low-lying, with a highest point of 280 m (920 ft) above sea level. The city is situated at the meeting point of four rivers:Oder,Opava,OstraviceandLučina.It differs from most neighbouring regions by the high concentration of industry, dense population and the geographical conditions of the Ostrava Basin. ThePoodří Protected Landscape Areaextends to the city's territory in the southwest.
Ostrava is 20.5 km across from north to south (Antošovice–Nová Bělá), and 20.1 km across from east to west (Bartovice–Krásné Pole).
Ostrava has anoceanic(Köppen:Cfb) orhumid continental(Dfb) climate, according with the isotherm 0 °C/-3 °C, the second most common in Europe (the average temperature in month most cold is −1 °C (30 °F)).[22][23]The climate features hot, humid summers and relatively mild winters, with an average annual temperature of 10.2 °C (50.4 °F) (January: −1.2 °C (29.8 °F) July: 23.5 °C (74.3 °F)) and average annual precipitation of 580 mm.
Ostrava is the transport and logistics hub of the north-eastern part of the Czech Republic, located close to the borders with Slovakia and Poland, and with an airport and highway connection nearby.
25 km (16 mi) south of the city centre is an international airport,Leoš Janáček Airport Ostrava,which links the city with several European destinations (IATA code: OSR; ICAO code: LKMT). It is the first airport in the Czech Republic to have its own rail link, which opened in 2015.[32]
The road infrastructure of the region is centred on theD1 motorway,which runs from Prague via Brno and Ostrava into Poland. Ostrava is 360 km (220 mi) from Prague by motorway, 170 km (110 mi) from Brno, 90 km (56 mi) from the Polish city ofKatowice,and 310 km (190 mi) fromVienna.Other major roads which pass through Ostrava are the Class I roads 11, 56, 58 and 59.
The city has a dense public transport network consisting oftrams,busesandtrolleybuses.The first trams, introduced in 1894, were powered by steam engines. The network was rapidly expanded, and in 1901 it was electrified. New tram lines were built mainly to the south and east of the city centre, where they would not have to cross thenarrow-gauge railwayslinking Ostrava withKarvináandBohumín.
Trolleybuseswere introduced in 1952, as in other Czech towns and cities after World War II. Initially there was one trolleybus route which encircled the city centre. The network was gradually expanded in the 1950s and 60s, replacing thenarrow-gauge railways.
A route to the Fifejdy housing estate was built in the late 1970s. The last expansion of the trolleybus network came in the mid-2010s, when a route was built out to the new terminal in Hranečník. 17tramlines currently operate in Ostrava. There are 52 bus lines and 14trolleybuslines.[33]
Ostrava is also a major railway hub, sited on Railway Corridors II and III and serving as an important centre for cargo and passenger transport between the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. The city's largest railway stations arethe main station(Ostrava hl.n.) and Ostrava-Svinov. These stations are important railway junctions. The main line linking Ostrava withOlomouc,PardubiceandPragueis served by three railway companies:České dráhy,RegioJetandLEO Express.
Ostrava's high concentration of heavy industry created various environmental problems in the city, particularly in relation to air quality. Measurements performed by theCzech Hydrometeorological Instituteshow that levels of atmospheric benzopyrene and dust particles are among the highest in the country.
The Ostravice River
Although Ostrava still has to contend with environmental issues, the situation has improved over time. In 2015 ArcelorMittal, then one of the biggest polluters in the region, implemented 13 major ecological investment projects worth CZK 3 billion.[citation needed]One new installation filters out 61 tonnes of dust per year. The City of Ostrava is also involved in a range of projects focusing on environmental improvements, including a web portal,zdravaova.cz,which enables citizens to monitor current air quality indicators, and a project funding short "health breaks" for children from high-risk areas.
One of the most pressing environmental problems currently facing the city concerns the oil lagoons at the site of the former Ostramo chemical plant. In 1996 the Czech government took over the site and drew up plans for a cleanup. The state-owned company Diamo was created to implement these plans. The situation has been the subject of government-level discussions,[when?]and Finance MinisterAndrej Babišvisited Ostrava in March 2015.
Air quality in Ostrava is currently very poor, with high concentrations ofbenzopyrene.[34]The pollution is so serious that it has been described in folklore; local people refer to "Černá Ostrava" (Black Ostrava) and have several songs about it.
Ostrava has four permanent theatres: theNational Moravian-Silesian Theatre(with two permanent venues, theAntonín Dvořák Theatreand the Jiří Myron Theatre), the Petr Bezruč Theatre, theAréna Chamber Theatreand the Ostrava Puppet Theatre – which hosts the international Spectaculo Interesse festival every odd-numbered year and the Theatre Without Barriers festival every even-numbered year.
Colours of Ostrava
Ostrava is home to theJanáček Philharmonic Orchestra,and hosts a number of international annual or biennial classical music festivals, includingJanáček May,the St Wenceslaus Music Festival and theOstrava Daysnew music festival. Since 2002 Ostrava has been the venue for the annual multi-genre music festivalColours of Ostrava,which features an international line-up of artists and attracts crowds of tens of thousands.
Other cultural events in Ostrava include the film and theatre festivalsOne World,Ostrava Camera Eye (Czech:Ostrava Kamera Oko), the International Outdoor Films Festival, and the Summer Shakespeare Festival (held on an outdoor stage at theSilesian Ostrava Castle). Folklore festivals include the Harmony (Czech:Souznění) international festival of Advent and Christmas traditions and crafts, Folklore Without Borders, and the Irish Cultural Festival.
TheOstrava City Museum,a museum located in the 16th-century Old City Hall building on the main central square, housing permanent exhibitions on the city's history, landscape and people.
TheOstrava Science and Technology Centre,an interactive museum about the world of technology aimed at all ages, including simulators for driving a train, flying a plane, or working as a steelworker or an astronaut. The Science and Technology Centre comprises two parts: the Small World of Technology, and the Large World of Technology (14,000 m2), which is divided into four different "worlds" within one building.
TheToy Museum,a toy museum including examples from over 60 countries, including some toys from the mid-19th century.
TheRailway Museum,featuring model trains, and a collection of original documents from the period of theAustro-Hungarian Empire.
TheBrewery Museum,focused on the history and technology of brewing.
TheFirefighting Museum,housed in anArt Nouveaubuilding in thePřívozdistrict previously used as a fire station. The exhibition includes a video showing firefighting techniques.
Keltička's Forge Museum,a permanent exhibition of blacksmithing and coal-mining. The building used to be the home of a blacksmith named Keltička (commemorated in a small memorial outside the building). According to the local legend it was Keltička who first discovered Ostrava's coal deposits. The museum maps the early beginnings of Ostrava's coal mining industry, including a collection of miners' helmets and lamps from the 17th century and a range of other exhibits.
TheProfessor F. Pošepný Geology Pavilion,which includes over 15,000 exhibits of minerals, rocks and fossils.
TheHouse of Art(Czech:Dům umění), a gallery of fine art housed in a building from the early 20th century.
ThePLATO (Ostrava City Gallery),an exhibition space with no permanent collections, which provides a space for exhibitions of contemporary Czech and international art.
TheZitherMuseum,a collection featuring examples of the musical instrument.
TheMining Museumat Landek Park, featuring a guided tour of the former Anselm coal mine with a guide who was a miner there, including a descent into a simulated mine tunnel.
TheMill Museum,a museum of mills and milling in the Ostrava region.
TheMichal Colliery museum,a museum in a former coal mine presenting the city's history of mining. The guided tour leads along the same route taken by the miners when they started their shift, but it is not possible for visitors to the museum to go underground. The museum is a National Cultural Monument.
New City HallOstrava'sNew City Hallhas the tallest tower of any city hall in the Czech Republic, with a viewing platform 73 metres above ground providing a panoramic view of the city.
Komenského Gardens is a park in the city centre named after the Renaissance-era Czech writer and educatorJohn Amos Comenius,and the site of a statue honouring the Soviet soldiers who liberated Ostrava in 1945.
The Miniuni World of Miniatures, located at the Černá Louka exhibition grounds, features miniature versions of famous buildings from around the world, including the Pyramids, Eiffel Tower, and Big Ben.
The fairytale clock at Ostrava's Puppet Theatre features figurines which perform a show at two-hour intervals from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The performance lasts two minutes. It depicts a battle between Kasper the clown and the Grim Reaper, and it also features four other characters – an angel, a king, a queen, and a devil.
TheSilesian Ostrava Castle,close to Masaryk Square, once stood on higher ground, but over time it has sunk by 16 metres due to mine tunnels collapsing underneath it. The castle is located at the confluence of theLučinaandOstravicerivers. The castle is the venue for the summer Shakespeare festival, among other events.
Stodolní Streetis the city's entertainment district, with more than 60 bars, clubs, restaurants and cafés.
Masaryk SquareMasaryk Square is located in Ostrava's historical centre and has aplague columnwith a figure of the Virgin Mary (1702) and aBaroquestatue ofSaint Florian,the patron saint of firefighters. There is a series of commemorative paving stones that starts outside the Laso shopping mall, as well as the Schönhof building, known as "the house with seven doors", and the Reisz building designed by the Viennese architectWunibald Deininger.
The Karolina Triple Hall (Czech:Trojhalí) is an urban space located next to the Forum Nová Karolina shopping mall. These large historic buildings – formerly part of the Karolina coking plant – have been transformed by the architectJosef Pleskotinto a new venue for sports, entertainment and culture.
Ostrava Zoois the second largest zoo in the Czech Republic and home to more than 400 different species of animals. In 2014 a new safari park was built, and in 2015 the zoo opened a new pavilion illustrating the process of evolution.
Lower Vítkovice preserves a historicblast furnaceand has a glass elevator to the newly built viewing platform at the top, with panoramic views of Ostrava and the surrounding countryside. There are guided tours describing Vítkovice's history. The blast furnace, the former power station, compressor hall and coal mine are open to the public. The formergas holderhas been repurposed into a multi-functional hall called the Gong.
Ema slag-heap, on the right bank of the Ostravice, is an artificial hill created by piling upslag,or waste material from coal mines. Its top is 315 metres (1,033 ft) above sea level. It has a subtropical micro-climate because the waste material is still burning deep beneath the surface. White smoke comes out of cracks in the ground. Snow never settles here, and flowers grow all year round. A yellow-marked hiking path leads to the top, from where there are panoramic views of the city.
Jirásek Square, former chicken market (kuří rynek), in Moravská Ostrava
There are foururban monument zonesin Ostrava – Moravská Ostrava (the historic centre), Ostrava-Poruba, Ostrava-Přívoz, and Ostrava-Vítkovice. Much of Ostrava's architectural heritage is in the city centre. The most notable structures are theatres, banks, department stores and other public buildings dating from the turn of the 20th century, at the time of Ostrava's greatest boom. The central Masaryk Square, named after the first President of CzechoslovakiaTomáš Garrigue Masaryk,features the historic old city hall building and a Marian plague column from 1702. NearbySmetanovoSquare features theAntonín Dvořák Theatreand theFunctionalistKnihcentrum bookstore. To the west are a series of grand, imposing bank buildings and the Elektra Palace on Nádražní Street, while to the north is theNew City Hallwith its landmark viewing tower, overlooking the large open space of Prokeš Square.
Porubais a large district of Ostrava in the western part of the conurbation, noted for its distinctive 1950sSocialist realistarchitecture. Inspired by the grandiose buildings ofSovietcities, Poruba also incorporates historical pastiche features drawing on ancient, Renaissance and Classicist models. The main entrance to the part of Poruba built at this time is through a grand triumphal arch.
TheVítkovicedistrict was for several decades the centre of the local iron and steel industry. The influx of workers led the company to build housing for its employees, plus civic amenities, a town hall and a church. The historic parts of the district are built in the company's distinctive style featuring red-brick façades.
Other districts of the city with a distinctive architectural heritage includePřívoz(with its grand Art Nouveau buildings) and the Jubilee housing development (Czech:Jubilejní kolonie) in Hrabůvka, built as a workers' housing complex in the 1920s.
Ostrava's Regional Court is based in a historic building on the Ostravice embankment (Havlíčkovo nábřeží) in the city centre. Its jurisdiction extends to the whole of the Moravian-Silesian Region. The District Court is based in a new building on U Soudu St. in the Municipal District ofPoruba.Its jurisdiction covers the territory of the City of Ostrava. The district courts of Ostrava and Brno are the largest in the country in terms of the number of judges.[37]
In addition to these courts Ostrava is also home to regional and district Public Prosecutor's Offices, as well as a branch of the Olomouc-based Supreme Public Prosecutor's Office.
Ostrava has several sports clubs in various sports, and has hosted many major national and international sports events. In 2014 the city was one of the European Cities of Sport. Ostrava is home to a number of top-level sports clubs, includingFC Baník Ostrava(football),HC Vítkovice Steel(ice hockey),NH Ostrava(basketball),1. SC VítkoviceandFBC Ostrava(floorball),Arrows Ostrava(baseball and softball), andVK Ostrava(volleyball).
Sports venues in the city include athletics facilities, football pitches and stadiums, ice rinks and ice stadiums, multi-purpose sports halls, tennis courts, squash clubs, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, among others. The most important facilities are operated by the city-owned company SAREZA. The company's outdoor swimming pool inOstrava-Porubais the largest facility of its kind in Central Europe.
Ostrava has opportune conditions for cycling, with its generally flat terrain and an extensive network of cycle routes. There are also several popular leisure and recreation areas in the region surrounding Ostrava; theBeskidsandJeseníky Mountains(about 30 km (19 mi) and 60 km (37 mi) from Ostrava respectively) are popular with skiers in the winter season, and hikers, cyclists and anglers from spring to autumn. A special "cyclebus" shuttles between Ostrava and the Beskydy Mountains from May to September, enabling cyclists to transport their bikes on a special trailer. In the winter there is a similar service for skiers known as the "skibus".
There are also several golf courses in the region, including theŠilheřovicegolf club in the grounds of the local château, and courses inČeladná,RopiceandOstravice.About 30 km (19 mi) from Ostrava is another golf course inKravaře.
Ostrava has a long tradition of hosting top-level European and world championships. TheGolden Spikeinternational athletics meeting has been held in the city every year since 1961. TheOstrava Marathonwas established in 1954 and has been held annually since 1974. In 2004, 2015, and 2024 Ostrava co-hosted (with Prague) theIIHF Ice Hockey World Championshipat theOstrava Aréna.
Czech Republic
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