Ostrava

Ostrava has a rather special position in the Czech Republic. The area of present Ostrava has been
the entrance into the Moravian Gate since ancient times and trading paths from the Baltic Sea to the
Mediterranean led here in the past. As early as thirty thousand years ago, mammoth hunters had
their settlement on Landek Hill and they were the first people in the world to use coal from local
seams to keep their fire. From the 10 th century, the members of the Slavonic tribe of Holasics also
had one of their numerous fortified settlements there. The region became populated especially in
the 13th century.
Ostrava town was founded about 1267 by the Olomouc bishop Bruno on the bank of the Ostravice
River. The first written record about the town is from 1297. The emperor Charles IV granted the town
in 1362 the first anniversary market, following sovereigns extended this important privilege. In the
beginning of the 16th century Ostrava became a part of the Hukvaldy Estate. Although the town was
several times seriously damaged by fire, in the turn of the 16 th and 17th centuries it became the most
important town of the Hukvaldy Estate. During the Thirty Year´s War Ostrava was several times
plundered and was one of the most damaged towns in Moravia.
The turning point in the history of the town was the discovery of coal in the middle of the 18 th
century and especially the development of mining in connection with the foundation of Rudolph´s
Metallurgical Plant in Vítkovice in 1828, and laying down the railway line from Vienna to Krakow in
1847, which connected Ostrava with the world. The most extensive development in this area took
place in the 2nd half of the 19th century and in the beginning of the 20 th century when the industrial
development reached its peak and influx of financial capital made the restoring of the whole town
possible.
Over the centuries, Ostrava gradually became a cosmopolitan, commercial and cultural centre.
Only a few towns in the Czech Republic have undergone such as enormous transformation as that of
Ostrava. At the turn of the 20 th century and during so-called First Republic Ostrava was a developed
conurbation with a thriving trade and history, as well as a diversity of cultural institutions belonging
to various nationalities. After the World War II (Ostrava was liberated by Soviet and Czechoslovak
soldiers on 30th April 1945) it has strengthened its position as a metropolis in the region. In the
previous decades it used to be the „steel heart“ of the republic. The city was perceived as
inhospitable, dirty, and full of rude and hard working people.
Present Ostrava with its 340 thousand inhabitants and an area of 330 square km is the natural
metropolis of the whole northern Moravia and Silesia. It is the 3 rd largest city of the country. It is the
city full of contrasts.
In Ostrava there are not as many places of interest as in other large cities of the Czech Republic.
The centre is thought to be the Masaryk Square dominated by the Renaissance tower of the former
town hall from the 16th century (now the seat of the Museum of Ostrava). Close to it there is the
plague column with the Virgin Mary statue from 1702, which is the oldest preserved Baroque statue.
Next to the square we can find St. Wenceslas Church from the first half of the 13 th century, the gothic
structure on the Romanesque basement which is one of the oldest sacral structures in the region.
The ruin of the Silesian-Ostrava Castle (13 th century) on the headland at a confluence of the Lučina
River and the Ostravice River is a reminder of historical relations. The Church of Divine Saviour is the
second largest church in Moravia (it can hold 4 thousand visitors) and it serves as the cathedral
church of Ostrava-Opava Bishopric. Its construction was finished in 1889. One of the city attractions
was also the parish church of St. Catherine in Hrabová. It was a very significant one-nave wooden
piece of architecture from 1543 which burnt down in April 2002. Hrabová´s residents built its copy.
The New City Hall, the seat of the city council, is the largest town hall complex in the Czech
Republic. It was built in between 1929-30. It is a grandiose two-wing building with a central 86 meter
tall viewing tower with its 4 statues by Václav Mucha symbolizing four main spheres of the city´s
activities: mining, trade, science and metallurgy. At present, the new modern city centre called Nová
Karolina has been built. It will include new residences, shopping, business and entertainment
facilities.
There are a lot of cultural facilities in Ostrava, e.g. the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre
consisting of the Antonín Dvořák Theatre, the Jiří Myron Theatre, the Puppet Theatre, the Petr
Bezruč Theatre and the Chamber Theatre Aréna. Other cultural institutions are e.g. Janáček
Philharmonic Orchestra, several houses of culture, the House of Arts, many galleries, the exhibition
centre of the town called the Black Meadow, the ČEZ Arena, the ZOO, the Astronomical Observatory
and Planetarium, the Coal Mining Museum in Ostrava-Landek, the Museum of Industry in Ostrava-
Michálkovice. All around the republic the Stodolní Street is well-known with its rock clubs and pubs
which are favourites especially with young people. There are very good shopping possibilities in
Ostrava.
There are lot of sport facilities, both for professional sportsmen and public here. People can
practise their favourite sports in many playgrounds, gyms, stadiums, swimming pools and fitness
centres. Many different sport clubs are on the top level, e.g. FC Baník Ostrava, HC Vítkovice,
basketball and volleyball teams.
Ostrava is an educational centre of northern Moravia and Silesia. There are a lot of nursery,
primary, special, grammar and secondary technical schools (both private and state ones) and
apprentice training centres. Ostrava is the seat of the Technical University (VŠB-TU) and its
counterpart, Ostrava University, focused on humanities and natural science. Professional art
education also takes up an important position, especially Janáček´s Conservatoire, one of the largest
and the most modern schools focused on musical and dramatic arts in Central Europe.
Ostrava is an important industrial centre of the republic. Evraz Vítkovice (former Vítkovice
Ironworks) and Arcelor Mittal (former New Metallurgical Plant) have long traditions and their
metallurgical products are well-known all over the world. In the 1990s work in many industrial
enterprises and mines, however, was stopped. The last coal was mined on 30 th June 1994 and all the
mines have been closed. Thousands of miners and steel workers have been retrained and have found
work in other spheres but unemployment in Ostrava is still rather high. Banking and service
industries have been developing very quickly. Ostrava is situated 15 km away from the nearest
border crossing to Poland and 55 km from Slovakia and this location provides economic advantages.
Air, railway and road connections are very good in Ostrava, so you can get to other regions and
neighbouring states quite easily. There are three railway stations (plus the Stodolní Street Stop), the
Leoš Janáček International Airport in Mošnov (which is about 18 km far from the centre of the city)
and city transport including buses, trolleybuses and trams.
Large ZOO in Michálkovice with many brand new animal pavilions (e.g. elephant, hippo) is a
rewarding place for recreation, relaxation and education. Within the city cadastre there are two state
protected natural reserves of European significance, Kotvice and Polanka Wood and Protected
Landscape Region Poodří. Close to this area, in Stará Bělá and Hrabová, popular centres of horse
riding can be found. There are many places of interest near the city. One of them is the Hukvaldy
Castle. The castle itself has been the scene of the International Music Festival Janáček´s Hukvaldy. In
honour of a well-known Czech composer Leoš Janáček, the international music festival Janáček´s May
is held in Ostrava annually. Close to Polish frontiers there is the area of the Šilheřovice Chateau. It is
the former seat of the Rotchilds and has a beautiful English park and well-kept golf playground with
18 holes. South of the city, in nearby Klimkovice, iodine spa for treatment of organs of motion was
built after 1990.
Most people from Ostrava take advantage of the Beskydy Mountains, the mountain range with
preserved nature, good climatic conditions and ideal grounds for hiking as well as winter sports. A
very popular place with a statue of a pagan god Radegast and a wooden church of Konstantin and
Metoděj is called Pustevny. Another popular place of interest is the National Museum of Folk
Architecture in Rožnov below Radhošť. Local residents keep ancient traditions of folk costumes,
practiced over the year during various holidays and folk festivals. We can also visit chateau in Hradec
upon Moravice, Štramberská trúba and other places.
Vocabulary

entrance vstup ancient starověký, prastarý

Meditrranean Středomoří the Moravian Gate Moravská brána
trade obchod path stezka, cesta(vyšlapaná)
led vedený mammoth hunters lovci mamutů
settlement osada, sídliště coal uhlí
local místní seam sloj
fortify opevnit Slavonic tribe slovanský kmen
bishop biskup emperor císař
grant příspěvek; udělit anniversary výročí, výroční
sovereign panovník significant významný
privilege privilegium, výsada estate panství
plunder drancovat, pustošit foundation založení, základ
turning point přelom, bod zlomu miming hornictví, těžba
council rada, shromáždění rady grandiose velkolepý
plenty of spousta metallurgical plant huť
nursery school mateřská školka primary school základní škola
special school odborná škola apprentice training centre učiliště
counterpart protipól focuse soustředit se
liberate osvobodit conurbation městská aglomerace
strengthen posílit decade dekáda, desetiletí
enterprise podnik, podnikat develope vyvinout
border hranice provide poskytovat
improve zlepšit, zdokonalit ensure zabezpečit, zajistit
cadastre katastr significance význam, smysl
metropolis metropole it is thought to be je považováno
plague column morový sloup Virgin Mary Panna Marie
reminder připomínka remind připomínat
relation vztah resident obyatel
reward odměnit surround obklopit
sight pohled honour čest, pocta
annually každoročně extend rozšířít
reach dosáhnout, sahat peak vrchol
influx příliv restoring obnova
gradually postupně, pozvolna thriving prospívající
diversity rozmanitost perceive povšimnout si
rude hrubý inhabitant obyvatel
previous předchozí parish church farní kostel
one-nave jednolodní two-wing dvoukřídlý
preserve uchovat structure složení
retrain rekvalifikovat unimployment nezaměstnanost
border crossing hraniční přechod brand new zbrusu nový
basement suterén, základ, sklep sacral posvátný
frontier hranice, pohraničí former bývalý, dřívější
nearby poblíž iodine jód
spa lázně treatment ošetření, léčba
motion pohyb condition podmínka, stav
ground země, pozemní pagan god pohanský bůh
chateau zámek environs okolí
Comprehensive questions

1. History: a) Early history (mammoth hunters, usage of coal, foundation of the town, part of the
Hukvaldy Estate).
b) Breaking point in the Ostrava’s history (discovery of the coal, foundation
of Rudolph’s M.P., railway).
c) The early 20th century.
d) Development after WW II.
e) The late 20th century, present Ostrava.
2. Places of interest: Masaryk Square (+ Old Town Hall, Virgin Mary statue, plague column,
St. Wenceslas Church), Castle, the Church of Divine Saviour, New City Hall, ZOO, Nová Karolina.
3. Cultural, sports and shopping facilities.
4. Education in Ostrava.
5. Industries and transport.
6. Ostrava’s environs.