Ostrava region

Nothern Moravia and Silesia are both picturesque regions split by mountain ridges and rolling hills, ideal for summer vacation as well as a range of winter sports.

Characteristics of the region
With their wide horizons of fertile lowlands and views of the Polish lowland landscape, Northern Moravia and Silesia have a pensive beauty. The southern slopes of the mountains open the region to the fertile area along the Morava River and Moravská brána. The merchants´ amber and salt route led across this area since the times immemorial. The Valašsko (Wallachia) area is a very specific part of the region. Situated along the Slovak border in the east, Wallachia is attractive by its unique style of wooden cottages and churches, as well as its lively folklore traditions. (Pictured here is a section of the Wallachia Open Air Museum in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm; click for larger view)

The massif of the Jeseníky Mountains and Rychlebské hory (Rychlebské Mountains) are the chief visitor attraction on the western side of the region. This area offers ideal conditions for recreation as well as physically demanding mountain tourism, wheather for summer or winter sports or spa cures and relaxation. The region is interwoven with a dense network of marked hiking and biking trails.

Ostrava with numerous industrial sights is the center of the region. The Hradec nad Moravicí Chateau, the Hukvaldy Castle, the Wallachian Museum in Rožnov and the pilgrimage place Maria Pomocná nad Zlatými Horami are the most visited sights of the region. Opava, the former capital town of the Czech Silesia, and Havířov, the youngest town in the Czech Republic with its interesting urbanism typical of the socialist era, are also worth visiting.

Transport Accessibility
High-speed roads: Vyškov – Ostrava, Nový Jičín – Frýdek Místek – Český Těšín. Main roads: Praha – Hradec Králové – Opava – Ostrava. Railway corridors: Praha – Přerov – Ostrava – Bohumín. The international airport Ostrava – Mošnov. The demanding route by car: Praha – Brno – Olomouc – Nový Jičín – Ostrava. The highway under construction: Lipník nad Bečvou – Ostrava.