Ostrava and Silesia area

Primarily after the year of 1989, the environment cultivation and the ecology damage corrective measures took placed in here. The adjacent proximity to the protected landscape areas of Jeseníky and Beskydy has its indisputable significance for the tourism development in the area. The modified towns and the important historical monuments change the today’s image of the entire region and they show it to the visitors.

A natural center of the region is Ostrava. It is located on theOstravice river in the lowland between the Beskydy Mountains and the massif of the Jeseníky Mountains. Even though the region is heavily industrialized, you will find an abundance of tourist attractions here as well as the opportunities for entertainment and sightseeing. The children will like to see the marine aquarium or the Ostrava ZOO that is open all the year round. From here you can get through the unique vista location at the mine dump called Ema to the renovated Ostrava-Silesian castle.You can visit the Museum of Mining, there is a large natural swimming pool in Poruba that features a number of attractions and the sports facility, and we could continue further on this way. The modern metropolis will not disappoint you for sure. It is also worth to mention that the city territory features several nature reserves.

There are several important towns in vicinity of Ostrava. They are Bohumín, Orlová and Karviná. Karviná features the Fryštát manor and the spa park ofBožena Němcová. The most important factor for tourist industry in Karviná is the spa resort of Lázně Darkov. Another towns are Petřvald and naturally Havířov. Petřvald features the technical museum, which houses an extraordinary exhibition of the tramway transit in the Karviná region. The city center was built in the fifties of the 20th century in the style of the so-called Socialist Realism and therefore in had been pronounced the protected zone in 1992 and named Sorela according tothis style. The original development is reminded by the Kotulova dřevěnka that features an exhibition. The city of Český Těšín is located on the border with Poland, and it is only a few steps away to the Beskydy Mountains from the industrial town of Třinec. The two important water recreational reservoirs are located in the region, they are called Těrlicko and Žermanice, and they should satisfy the lovers of water sports and fishing. We should certainly mention the modern spa town ofKlimkovice, which is located in the pleasant forest environment. The treatment baths in the iodine-bromine water have an exceptionally favorable affect during treatment of the locomotive organs and the other health problems. Proximity of the individual cities and towns in this conurbation increases an accessibility of the various entertainment and activities. You can easily move throughout the entire region thanks to the comparatively short transportation distances and the developed transitinfrastructure.

We will now move on to another regional center, the town of Opava, which is called the "bílá perla Slezska" (White Pearl of Silesia). The rich history of this culture town is documented by the unique monuments like the Minorite cloister and the Church of St. Spirit built before the year of 1269. Out of many curiosities, the visitors should see exhibitions of the Silesian Municipal Museum, and the supporters of the military history should not forget to visit the lineof unique military fortifications built before the World War II, e.g. the Artillery Fort of Smolkov and the "Památník bojů za svobodu" (Monument of Battles for Freedom) in Hrabyně featuring an exhibition of the World War II, or the fortifications in the town of Hlučín – Darkovičky. You can also see the manor with the park in Hlučín. This is however not the only manor in this region. Another beautiful manor can be found in the town of Hradec nad Moravicí, the former residence of thefamous musical composers L. van Beethoven and F. Liszt, and of the ingenious violinist N. Paganini. The top of the cream among the manors is the manor of Kravaře. This manor is surrounded by the landscape park and the part of it serves as a golf course. You can find another golf course in the town of Šilheřovice. The manor of Raduň also features a landscape park. The city museum in Budišov nad Budišovkou belongs among another interesting sights within Opava region; this museum features anexhibition of mining and processing the argillaceous slate. The forest garden and the exhibition of subtropical and tropical plants of Silesian Museum in Opava are located in the town of Nový Dvůr. The lovers of fishing can visit the town of Bělá featuring the popular trout-breeding farm at the forest edge. You can catch some trout after renting the fishing equipment here and you can immediately have it prepared in the local restaurant for eating. The region features a vast network of hikingand bicycle routes. The town of Vítkov is open to the lovers of active rest, too. The lovers of winter sports will find the cross-country skiing tracks here, as well as the ski run with a simple ski tow. The summer time offers the recreational water reservoirs and the climbing terrains.

The last part is located in the so-called Moravian Gateway and its vicinity. The lowland area features a number of fishponds stretching along the Odra river, and it has been part of the important traderoads from the Baltic to the Mediterranean Sea since the ancient times. Important cities and towns had been founded here. The town of Studénka used to manufacture the railroad wagons, and their production is documented in the Wagon Museum. The city of Fulnek features the manor and the town of Odry features the monument zone. The founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud was born in the ancient town of Příbor, the town of Kunín features an interesting manor, and the town of Kopřivnice featuresthe technical museum of Tatra Kopřivnice. The town of Kopřivnice also features the Hall of Fame of the Olympic winners Emil Zátopek and Dana Zátopková. The town of Nový Jičín is the former County Capital and it features the urban conservation area and the Žerotínský manor. The castle bearing the same name stands above the neighbor city of Starý Jičín. The technical monument called "Lesní mlýn" (Forest Mill) is located in the town of Bernartice. The building of the mill has beenpreserved with all its technological equipment. Another interesting sight is the "Rodný dům" (Birthplace House) of Johann Gregor Mendel, a worldwide recognized founder of genetics, in Hynčice u Vražného. The town of Štramberk is called the "Moravský Betlém" (Moravian Crèche) for its picturesque appearance. In this city, we can find the castle, the Museum of Zdeňek Burian, the botanical garden, the forest garden, or the so-called Aqua Terra – the mini ZOO, which is the permanentexhibition of the aquarium and vivarium animals, and at the same time the largest freshwater aquarium in the town of Štramberk.

As you can see, we can find a wide variety of opportunities to rest, to do some sightseeing, and to entertain ourselves in this region. The area has a vast potential for further development of the tourist industry, and the good news is an obvious effort for broader opening and accessibility to the domestic and foreign tourists. Here, aside from theexceptional sporting infrastructure, you will find vast opportunities for recreational activities. Bicycling, hiking, horse riding, water and winter sports, whatever you wish like. If you still haven’t visited this region, you should certainly do so.