The SPOKE team would like to thank Veronika Klimickova and Richard Sklar, Ostrava natives – who take our readers through a very personal view of the history and distinct personality of their city. Veronika shares the unique history, milestones and landmarks of Czech Republic’s third largest city, and Richard tell us about the evolution of this traditional steel and industrial town – through his own story. So, here is an introduction to Ostrava, the first in our series putting the spotlight on GFG’s iconic steel towns.

Hello, my name is Veronika and today I will be your guide to Czechia’s steel heartland – the city of Ostrava.

Ostrava was named after the river Ostravice, on the banks of which it was founded. Evidence of settlement dates back to the Stone Age when mammoth hunters resided on the Landek Hill. In 1953 an archaeologist named Bohuslav Klíma found a little figure of Venuse here which commemorates the times of the first settlers long before Ostrava came to be. In the Middle Ages, the Silesian Ostrava castle was built here to guard the Polish-Moravian border and trade routes leading past. Ostrava became an important market centre, but further development was hampered by frequent floods, fires, wars, and plague.

The city’s revival was brought about by the discovery of coal and the establishment of Vítkovice ironworks, which was closely related to that. Ostrava became one of the most important industrial cities in the Austro-Hungarian Empire during the industrial revolution.

After the end of World War I, smaller municipalities were united to create the so-called Great Ostrava, which gradually became an administrative, social, and cultural center.

Its development was suspended only by the global economic crisis and World War II during which the city was massively bombed. Only after the end of the war the revival and development of heavy industry took place again. In 1951, our smelter was founded, back then under the name of Nová huť Klementa Gottwalda.

After the Velvet Revolution in 1989, significant economic and political changes took place. Mining activities in the city gradually came to a halt altogether and the Vítkovice blast furnaces were shut down. Currently, Ostrava is a modern vibrant and green city with a its industrial heart still pounding.

When you visit Ostrava, there are many interesting sights to visit. Here are some of my top recommendations that you shouldn’t miss:

• New Town Hall and Viewing Tower: The tower houses one of the many branches of Tourist Information Offices, and at the top, there is a viewing platform accessible to the public from which you can enjoy a magnificent view of Ostrava and its surroundings.
• Landek Park: This unique location connects the Mining Museum and the Landek hill, which was even declared a national natural monument. At the Mining Museum, you can take the mining cage lift down into the shaft, visit the chain locker rooms, and take a ride on a small mining train. In another part of the park, you can take a look into the settlement of mammoth hunters or walk along the educational trail winding around the area.
• Silesian Ostrava Castle: The castle was founded in the 13th century and over the years, it was rebuilt several times and then it had devastated. Though only a part of the castle palace, fortification walls, and the entrance Renaissance gate with a tower have been preserved to this day, the castle is a popular site for tourists, which offers many interesting historical exhibitions such as The Devil‘s Forge, the torture chamber, or The Armory. It is also a venue for many cultural and social events.
• Ema Coal Tailings Heap: If you are already visiting the castle, then I recommend taking about a 2km long walk and visiting the still-active Ema coal tailings heap. Thanks to the heat that emanates from it, the microclimate here is subtropical, and you won’t find snow here even in winter. Moreover, you can get a beautiful view of Ostrava and the LIBERTY smelter from there.
• The Zoo: From Ema, you can go on to the Zoo. It was founded in 1951 and currently you can see more than 4000 species here. In 2011, the first elephant ever bred in the Czech Republic was born here!
• Dolní Vítkovice: This former complex of heavy industry has been gradually turned into an educational and cultural center. You can take a guided tour of the former blast furnace and learn a lot about the history of the area and iron production.
• There are plenty of ways to spend time in this area. You can take a guided tour of the former blast furnace and learn a lot about the history of the area and iron production. However, this is just the beginning of an adventure, I recommend continuing to the popular Science and Technology Centre. It offers interactive exhibits that both children and adult visitors will find interesting. If you want o relax for a while you can go to the Bolt Café which is located at the top of the former blast furnace No. 1 at a height of 80 meters and offers stunning views of the city. If you are more interested in culture then I recommend visiting one of the concerts or one of the exhibitions held at the former gas tank which serves as a multipurpose hall now.
• Colours of Ostrava: If you visit Ostrava in July and you are into the culture, then you definitely shouldn‘t miss this music festival. Over the years, the festival has featured artists such as The Cure, Imagine Dragons, Mika, Twenty One Pilots, Jessie J, The Cranberries, Sinéad O’Connor and others. And if no performer catches your eye, the festival offers a rich additional program including our company’s stand.
• Stodolní street: You can end the day with good food, drinks and possibly even dancing in one of the restaurants or clubs on Stodolní Street in Ostrava downtown. You can choose from around 70 different restaurants with specific interiors.
• Ostravar Brewery: And we will continue straight away with a good drink, because Ostrava is home to one of the largest breweries in the country. The Ostrava brewery was founded in 1897 and a year later the first batch of beer was brewed there. At present, they brew 4 permanent types of beer and 4 special ones. I personally recommend trying Černá Barbora special which was even won the best dark special of 2018 award.
• Sports events: Athletes will also find their way in Ostrava. In 2014, Ostrava was even declared European City of Sport. One of the oldest athletic competitions in Europe, ZLATÁ TRETRA OSTRAVA, is held here every year. Here you can see the best athletes in the world in action. In the past, for example, Usain Bolt, Asafa Powell, Armand Duplantis, Barbora Špotáková and many others competed here.
• Other interesting sports events are J&T Banka Ostrava Beach Pro beach volleyball tournament, WTA Ostrava tournament or matches of the local FC Baník Ostrava football team or the HC Vítkovice Ridera ice hockey team.

Richard’s story….and the transformation of Ostrava

As a resident of Ostrava for over three decades, with twenty of those years spent in the downtown area, I have witnessed first-hand the transformation of this industrial city.

My childhood memories of the past decades are of a city enveloped in a cloud of soot, ash, and various pollutants. The Ostravice River, which runs through the city, was once covered in foam of different colors depending on what the nearby factories were dumping into it. What a transformation we see today! Who would have thought that now, the river would be home to fish, and a recreation area with bike paths would have sprouted up along its banks?

Ostrava has come a long way in the past thirty years. The once-grey and dusty industrial city has been transformed into a green oasis, and the number of days when the city is covered in smog can now be counted on one hand. The closure of nearby mines and the shutdown of coke plants and such, have been key to this transformation. For instance, the former blast furnace site in Vitkovice, which is now a popular cultural landmark and an industrial museum, and now serves as the venue for the annual Colours of Ostrava music festival. The LIBERTY Ostrava steelworks is one of the festival’s loyal patrons.

The historic centre of Ostrava, which struggled to find a new purpose after 1989, has been reborn as a modern hub with a shopping mall, a beautiful residential area, and an ultramodern student campus for the University of Ostrava. The former Karolína coke plant site, just 300 meters from Masaryk Square, is now home to this bustling new centre. It even boasts a running track and other sports facilities on the roof of one of its buildings.

Sports have always been an important part of life in Ostrava. Legendary world-class athletic competitions like the Golden Spike have been held at the memorable Vítkovice stadium for six decades, while football, hockey, floorball, boxing, and more continue to thrive here. A private golf training area has also been established in the Lhotka district, popular not only with golf lovers but also as a destination for family trips to enjoy the peace and natural beauty of the area. Komenský Park, a well-maintained park that includes tennis courts where the former ATP No. 1 tennis player Ivan Lendl began his career, is another beautiful spot where Ostravians can connect with nature.

The New Town Hall, built in 1925, still dominates the skyline of Ostrava. Its tower offers a breathtaking view of the surrounding area. On a clear day, visitors can see the highest mountain of the Beskydy Mountains, Lysá hora (1,323 m), to the east, as well as the more distant Jeseníky Mountains with its highest peak, Praděd (1,491 m), to the west. In the distance, one can also see the LIBERTY Ostrava smelter. Though the distortion of the perspective can make it appear as if the city, the company, and the mountains are one, appearances can be deceiving.

The LIBERTY Ostrava smelter is over ten kilometers away from the downtown, while the top of Lysá hora is another 35 kilometers away. Despite the transformation of the city, the LIBERTY Ostrava smelter remains a significant business in the area. It provides jobs to thousands of people, even in the midst of the current challenging economic situation. Overall, I’m proud to call Ostrava my home. It’s amazing to see how much the city has changed for the better over the years.